Quinton Joseph (Part 5)

 "The R&B and Soul Music Drummer with a Signature Touch"

The Philadelphia Years:

He played drums on another million-selling track released in 1979, co-produced by Gamble and Huff for the Jones Girls, called “You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else”.

The "T P" multi-platinum
 album
 that features
 "Love TKO" classic
 hit record.

As executive producers both Gamble and Huff allowed Joseph to collaborate with Dexter Wansel on another classic track on Pendergrass’ “TP”, a multi-platinum album released in 1980. 

The track is entitled “Love TKO”, which was co-produced by Cecil Womack (co-author of the track with his wife Linda Womack and Cecil Womack brother of the late Bobby Womack), Dexter Wansel and Cynthia Biggs. Joseph also contributed his drumming techniques to the second track on the A-side on “Take Me In Your Arms Tonight”, featuring Stephanie Mills performing with Pendergrass. On the first track on the B-side of the album he played drums on “Quite Storm”, one of the most requested Soul and R&B songs on radio, and “Feel The Fire”, also performed by Teddy  Pendergrass and Stephanie Mills.

In 1980 Joseph also played drums on the gold-certified live “Teddy Live Coast To Coast” album co-produced by Gamble and Huff. This was the final album that he played on for Pendergrass before Pendergrass’ horrific auto accidence in March 1982 whilst signed to Philadelphia International Records.

Between 1978 and 1981 Joseph played both drums and percussion instruments on four out of five of Pendergrass’ multi-platinum albums in succession. He was the first African-American drummer to achieve such a feat in music history. He went on to play drums on the last Gamble and Huff-produced number-one single for the O’ Jays before they parted from PIR (Philadelphia International Records) in 1987. The chart-topping single was “Lovin’ You”, which peaked at number-one on week -ending  7^th November 1987 (1 week ), preceded by the late Michael Jackson’s million selling single “Bad”. The strings arrangement by the late Jack Faith has a classic and timeless quality, a beautiful soulful emotional feeling that was missing on many studio recordings at that time that used fewer strings and horns and more electronic instruments. This made you want to listen to the track over and over again. It was not a surprise when it reached the summit of the R&B and Soul Billboard Singles Chart without video support! 


                                  Researched and compiled by               
                                   Mr K Tomlin Music Historian                   
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