Thomas Randolph Bell was an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s.
13 Facts About Thom Bell
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In June 2006, Thom Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
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In 2016, Thom Bell was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
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Thom Bell's mother, Anna, worked as a stenographer and was a pianist.
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Thom Bell was classically trained as a musician and sang as a teenager with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Daryl Hall.
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Thom Bell brought a mellifluous and hypnotic style to soul music.
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Thom Bell arranged big hits, including the O'Jays' popular "Back Stabbers," on Gamble and Huff's record label, Philadelphia International Records, which the two launched in 1971.
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Thom Bell then joined Gamble and Huff in setting up a publishing company for their songs, Mighty Three Music.
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In 1972, Thom Bell agreed to produce The Spinners for Atlantic Records.
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In 1975, Thom Bell produced an album for Dionne Warwick called Track of the Cat which followed "Then Came You," her collaboration with Thom Bell and the Spinners from 1974.
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Thom Bell was known for being a perfectionist in his writing and very budget-conscious, demanding that session musicians play his compositions as they were written and not improvise.
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Thom Bell married Sylvia Thom Bell in 1965 and they divorced in 1984.
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Thom Bell married Vanessa Joanne Wittrock in Seattle on December 29,1985.