Together

Together: The Intruders and the Philadelphia Soul Sound

"Together" is a soul recording by The Intruders, the Philadelphia vocal group that recorded for Gamble Records during the mid-to-late 1960s. Released in 1967, the track represents an early example of the lush, orchestrated approach to soul music that would later be codified as the "Philadelphia Sound" or "Philly Soul," a style that Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff would develop more fully during the early 1970s with their Philadelphia International Records label. The Intruders were among the first artists to record for Gamble's enterprise and their work from this period documents the evolution of an aesthetic that would have an enormous impact on popular music in the decade that followed.

The Intruders: Group History and Background

The Intruders formed in Philadelphia in the early 1960s, initially as a quartet consisting of Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phil Terry, and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards. The group sang in the doo-wop and early soul tradition that was prevalent on the East Coast at the time, performing at local venues and developing the tight vocal interplay that would become their signature. Their connection with Kenny Gamble, who was then working as an independent producer and record label entrepreneur, proved to be the defining relationship of their commercial career. Gamble, along with his eventual partner Leon Huff, was in the process of developing a production style that emphasized lush string arrangements, sophisticated chord changes, and emotionally direct songwriting, all of which he applied to the Intruders' recordings.

Production and Recording

"Together" was produced by Kenny Gamble and recorded at Philadelphia studios during a period when the city was emerging as an important center for rhythm and blues and soul production. The recording features the warm, orchestrated arrangement that Gamble was refining during this period, with strings providing a cushion beneath the group's vocal performances and a rhythm section that draws on both the gospel tradition and the more polished pop production techniques that were becoming standard in the mid-1960s. The arranging and production approach on "Together" previews the more fully realized Philly Sound that Gamble and Huff would perfect after founding Philadelphia International Records in 1971.

Billboard Hot 100 Chart Performance

"Together" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on April 29, 1967, debuting at number 100. The single demonstrated steady upward momentum over its chart run, climbing from 100 to 84 in its second week, then to 82, before accelerating to 67 by its fifth week. The track continued climbing, ultimately reaching its peak position of number 48 on June 24, 1967. The song spent a total of nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, a strong showing for a regional act working with an independent label. On the rhythm and blues charts, where the Intruders had their primary audience base, the single performed even more strongly, reflecting the group's deep roots in the African American musical community of Philadelphia and the surrounding region.

Significance in the Gamble-Huff Story

The commercial success of "Together" and other Intruders singles during 1967 and 1968 provided Kenny Gamble with evidence that his production approach was commercially viable and that Philadelphia had the talent and infrastructure to support a significant soul recording operation. The Intruders would go on to score additional hits in the early 1970s, most notably "Cowboys to Girls" in 1968, which reached number one on the R&B chart and number six on the Hot 100, and later "I'll Always Love My Mama" in 1973. Their work throughout this period consistently demonstrated the emotional warmth and vocal sophistication that Gamble and Huff brought to their productions, and "Together" stands as an early articulation of a sound that would reach millions of listeners in the following decade. The broader Philadelphia soul movement that the Intruders helped inaugurate influenced artists from Barry White to the disco producers of the late 1970s.

Cultural Context

The year 1967 was a pivotal one for soul music. Aretha Franklin made her Atlantic Records debut that year and rapidly established herself as the genre's dominant female voice. Otis Redding was at the peak of his commercial activity before his death in December. Sly and the Family Stone were beginning to develop the funk-inflected approach that would transform soul in subsequent years. Within this context, the Intruders and their collaborators at Gamble Records represented a specifically urban Northern soul approach that emphasized romantic themes and orchestral sophistication over the rawer gospel-derived intensity of the Southern soul coming out of Memphis and Muscle Shoals. "Together" is a clear and appealing statement of that aesthetic.