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                   
                                  ©RCM Music/Signaturesoundsonline2013-2014

Quinton Joseph (Part 4)

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




The Philadelphia Years:

"So Full of Love", 
multi-platinum 
certified  album
for O'Jays.

While Joseph was on tour during the late 1970s, a singer friend invited him to play on a session for Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. This led to him becoming a member of the PIR studio session band at Sigma Sounds Studios, after demonstrating his excellent signature drumming techniques to Gamble and Huff and other producers, arrangers and songwriters employed on staff by the label.

Pendergrass' second 
multi-platinum album.

Joseph first success was with the O’ Jays on their multi-platinum album “So Full Of Love”, recorded in 1978, which featured the million-selling single “Use Ta Be My Girl”, that topped the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart on 27^th May 1978 (5 weeks), which was produced jointly by Gamble and Huff with arrangement conducted by the late Jack Faith. This was quickly followed by another chart-topping performance with the late Teddy Pendergrass on the gold-certified single “CloseThe Door”, which was number-one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart on 8^th July 1978 ( 2 weeks ), also co-produced by Gamble and multi-platinum Huff and with excellent arrangements by Thom Bell. Both related albums, Pendergrass’  “Life Is a Song Worth Singing” and the O’ Jays’ “So Full of Love”, sold over 2 million copies each and also peaked at number-one in 1978 on the Billboard Top Soul Albums Chart, with “So Full Of Love” at number-one on 3^rd June 1978 (3 weeks) and “Life Is a Song Worth Singing”  at number-one on 12^th August 1978 (2 weeks).

Pendergrass' third multi-platinum
 certified album.

Joseph also collaborated on the O’ Jays’ next platinum-certified album, released in 1979, with dynamic drum performances on tracks “Sing a Happy Song”, “Identify Yourself”, “Forever Mine” and finally “I Want You Here With Me”. All these tracks were produced by Gamble and Huff. He repeated the same performance on Pendergrass’ final multi-platinum number-one album of his career, simply entitled “Teddy”,

"Identify Yourself", 
platinum certified album.
  

which peaked on 21^st July 1979 (8 weeks) which showcased Joseph’s powerful contribution on drums, especially on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles Chart number-two classic track “ "Turn Off The Lights”, a favourite for the ladies worldwide, which helped the album sell over 2 million copies in North America alone.

                                   Researched and compiled by               
                                   Mr K Tomlin Music Historian                   
                                  ©RCM Music/Signaturesoundsonline2013-2014