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As the first group to score hits with the songwriting/production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the Intruders played a major role in the rise of Philadelphia soul, but are sometimes lost in the shuffle amid better-known acts like the O'Jays or Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. The Intruders were originally formed as a doo wop group in 1960, and sang around Philadelphia for several years. Lead singer Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phil Terry, and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards signed with Gamble and Huff's fledgling Gamble label in 1966. They scored a Top 20 R&B hit that year with "(We'll Be) United," and followed it up a year later with "Together," as well as their first album, The Intruders Are Together. 1968, though, was the Intruders' breakthrough year: "Cowboys to Girls," a template for what would become Philly soul's trademark sound, topped the R&B charts and climbed to number six on the pop side, giving the group their biggest hit. The follow-up, "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game," was their only other Top 40 pop hit, and the accompanying LP, Cowboys to Girls, wound up their most popular.
Gamble and Huff's success with the Intruders helped convince Columbia to grant them the money to launch Philadelphia International, which became the most successful soul label of the early '70s. The Intruders, meanwhile, were undergoing some internal turmoil; when they resurfaced on the 1970 Gamble LP When We Get Married, lead singer "Little Sonny" Brown had been replaced by nightclub singer Bobby Starr (born Robert Ferguson). The title cut, a Dreamlovers cover, was a hit on the R&B charts, as was the follow-up, "(Win, Place or Show) She's a Winner." Starr's tenure with the group was short-lived; Brown returned for the 1973 LP Save the Children, which spawned the Intruders' last two big hits, "I'll Always Love My Mama" and "I Wanna Know Your Name." For the 1974 follow-up, Energy of Love, the Intruders were switched from the Gamble imprint to the Philly International subsidiary TSOP; however, it was less successful than the quartet's previous releases, and they disbanded in 1975. Eugene Daughtry formed a new lineup in 1984 (without any other original members); they recorded an album titled Who Do You Love? for the U.K. imprint Streetwave before disbanding once again. Daughtry passed away in 1994 after a bout with cancer, while Brown unfortunately committed suicide following years of drug and alcohol problems. Bobby Starr, meanwhile, continued to lead another version of the group that features no other original Intruders.
-- Steve Huey, All Music Guide
01. When We Get Married 02. Best Days Of My Life 03. One In A Million 04. Hocus Pocus 05. Guess Who Loves You 06. Wonder What Kind Of Bag She's In |
07. This Is My Love Song 08. Let Me In Your Mind 09. Tender (was the love we knew) 10. I Didn't Know 11. A Brand New Me |
01. Save The Children 02. Mother And Child Reunion 03. I Wanna Know Your Name 04. To Be Happy Is The Real Thing |
05. I'll Always Love My Mama 06. Memories Are Here To Stay 07. Teardrops 08. Hang On In There |
01. Cowboys To Girls 02. Together 03. We'll Be United 04. Love Is Like A Baseball Game 05. Slow Drag 06. When We Get Married 07. Sad Girl 08. A Love That's Real 09. Friends No More 10. Gonna Be Strong 11. Me Tarzan, You Jane 12. Check Yourself 13. Save The Children 14. Mother And Child Reunion 15. I Wanna Know Your Name |
16. To Be Happy Is The Real Thing 17. I'll Always Love My Mama 18. Memories Are Here To Stay 19. Teardrops 20. Hang On In There 21. Energy Of Love 22. Rainy Days And Mondays 23. A Nice Girl Like You 24. Jan 25. Be Thankful For What You Got 26. What's Easy For Two Is So Hard For One 27. Lonely, Lonely 28. Everyone's A Star 29. Plain Ol' Fashioned Girl 30. Be On Time |
01. A Love That's Real 02. Cowboys To Girls 03. Together 04. We'll Be United 05. Love Is Like A Baseball Game 06. Slow Drag 07. Sad Girl 08. Me Tarzan, You Jane 09. When We Get Married 10. Friends No More |
11. Win Place Or Show, She's A Winner 12. Mother And Child Reunion 13. I'll Always Love My Mama 14. I Wanna Know Your Name 15. Teardrops 16. Hang On In There 17. A Nice Girl Like You 18. Plain Ol' Fashioned Girl 19. To Be Happy Is The Real Thing 20. Save The Children |
01. Cowboys To Girls 02. A Nice Girl Like You 03. A Love That's Real 04. Win Place Or Show, She's a Winner 05. Gonna Be Strong |
06. Love Is Like A Baseball Game 07. Slow Drag 08. Check Yourself 09. Friends No More 10. Memories Are Here To Stay |
01. Talking About Pop (EP version) 02. How Long Has It Been |
03. Talking About Pop (radio) |
01. I'll Always Love My Mama 02. I Wanna Know Your Name 03. We'll Be United 04. Sad Girl 05. Together |
06. When We Get Married 07. Cowboys To Girls 08. A Love That's Real 09. Love Is Like A Baseball Game 10. Save The Children |