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You know, the Memphis horns and the Motown rhythm section… the ambiance of those rooms is what gave those records a personality.” (Seay). The same thing with Sigma, the same thing with Motown, the same thing with the studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals, those rooms gave a sound and a personality that you don’t have anymore. We won the fact that we can make great sounding records anywhere, but what we lost was the personality those records had, because, the room gave a personality. In other words, with all the technology today, you win some things and you lose some things. When asked about how the acoustic environment affected the recordings at Sigma, Joe Tarsia replied: (Gallagher).ĭespite the fact that Tarsia viewed the space in which a record is recorded as lesser in importance in terms of shaping the sound, Tarsia did acknowledge that the room itself at Sigma Sound Studios in regards to both the actual and manufactured acoustic environments undeniably left a mark on the recordings made there. Everyone writing at Philadelphia International Records knew that only the best songs were going to be used on upcoming records, and with that in mind the creation of new and innovative songs and sounds were added to both the Sigma sound and the Philadelphia soul sound. With a large team of songwriters working underneath Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International Records an unprecedented quality of songwriters due to internal competition lead to many hit records. This label signed many artists such as Lou Rawls, The Blue Notes, and the O’Jays, among many others. Gamble and Huff started Philadelphia International Records, a record company that acted as a way for them to showcase the Philadelphia soul music genre as well as a way to showcase their own songs. These two men along with their writing staff became incredibly important and influential in cultivating and helping shape the Philadelphia soul sound. Philadelphia International Records was a company owned by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the two original producers that Tarsia called in on the first day of recording at Sigma. Many of these musicians went on to play as the backing bands for artists like The Delfonics, Teddy Pendergrass, and The Blue Notes (Seay).Īlthough the musicians that played on the songs recorded at Sigma Sound Studios were extremely important, the songwriting that came from the writing staff at Philadelphia International Records was magic. This small group of musicians that became an influential part of the Philadelphia soul sound was known as MFSB (mother, father, sister, brother) due to the familial closeness they had with one another. As for Sigma, the heart of its sound consisted of a relatively small group of about 40 musicians.
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According to Tarsia, at the very core and beginning of any sound are the musicians and songwriters. To objectively analyze Sigma Sound Studios and how its iconic sound came about it is best done by taking Tarsia’s advice by breaking the process of creating a sound into more manageable pieces. To me it’s the song, the artist, the arrangement, the studio, in that order” (Seay). You know, the driving force for why people buy records… I mean, sound is somewhere down the middle. Tarsia also acknowledged the numerous differences in opinion about how any particular sound can or should be created by stating, “My first boss said, ‘The song is the horse on which the artist rides to fame.’ And that’s true. Even the original founder and owner of Sigma Sound Studios Joe Tarsia, acknowledged that there were a lot of variables, which cultivated the particular sound at Sigma. When describing the history of Sigma Sound Studios and the idea of “the Sigma Sound”, it quickly becomes clear that there were many factors behind why the sound of this recording studio not only became so iconic but has also been credited with creating the sound of Philadelphia. It is what came out of these recordings that not only helped shape the sound of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Soul Sound, but also marked the beginning of Sigma Sound Studio’s legacy. To record these three songs Gamble and Huff put together a rhythm section consisting of Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, Earl Young, Bobby Eli, Larry Washington, and Lenny Pakula. Shortly after opening the studio, in an attempt to get things going Tarsia took a chance and invited two acquaintances of his, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, both producers and songwriters, to record three songs. 12 th St., Tarsia renamed the space Sigma Sound Studios.
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With the dream of one day running his own recording studio, Tarsia set up shop in a previously owned recording studio called Sound Plus Studios in Philadelphia.