| The Intruders | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Genres | R&B Soul |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Labels | Excel, Gamble, TSOP, Streetwave, Moor Ent. |
| Members | |
| Sam "Little Sonny" Brown Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards Phillip "Phil" Terry Eugene "Bird" Daughtry Robert "Bobby Starr" Ferguson |
|
The Intruders were an American soul music group most popular in the 1960s and 1970s.[1] As one of the first groups to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they had a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul.
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Formed around 1960, the group originally consisted of Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phillip "Phil" Terry and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards.[2] In 1969, Sam Brown was replaced as lead singer by Bobby Starr, only to rejoin the group in 1973.
In 1965, when songwriters and record producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff first contemplated leaving the Cameo-Parkway record label to risk launching their own label, the vocalists on which they pinned all their hopes and venture capital were The Intruders. Like many other subsequent acts the duo produced, which included Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and The O'Jays, The Intruders had already developed a vocal sound that was both theirs and uniquely Philadelphian.[3]
Brown, Daughtry, Terry and Edwards had been recording and performing one-off singles together since 1961, blending Philly's street corner doo-wop tradition with black gospel fervor. The result was neither as pop-infected as Motown, nor as funky and blues-inflected as Stax. The sound which The Intruders refined for the Excel, Gamble and Philadelphia International imprints reflected a different attitude than either Stax or Motown.[4]
Gamble and Huff's success with The Intruders helped convince Columbia Records to grant them the money to launch Philadelphia International. Gamble and Huff acknowledged that their work with The Intruders was the foundation of what they called "The Sound Of Philadelphia".[5]
The Intruders, meanwhile, were undergoing some internal turmoil. When the group resurfaced on the 1970 Gamble LP, When We Get Married, lead singer Brown was replaced by Bobby Starr.[6] The title song, "When We Get Married" (R&B #8, Pop #45), a Dreamlovers cover, became a hit on the charts, as was the follow-up "Win, Place Or Show (She's A Winner)" (UK #14).[1] Starr's tenure with the group included Soul Train television appearances, and the rare collector's single, "I'm Girl Scoutin".[7] Brown returned to the group in 1973 for the album Save The Children, which spawned The Intruders' last two big hits, "I'll Always Love My Mama" (R&B #6, Pop #36) and "I Wanna Know Your Name" (R&B #9, Pop #60).
"Cowboys to Girls" (R&B #1, Pop #6) remains the only chart topping single of their career. It was awarded an R.I.A.A. gold disc for one million sales in mid May 1968.[2] It was covered by the Hacienda Brothers. Other covers of their hit singles included "Together", which was recorded by Gladys Knight & The Pips on their Silk 'N' Soul LP, as well as The Three Degrees on their 1975 work, Take Good Care Of Yourself.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, their music was popular on the West Coast among Latino, specifically Chicano, youth. Daughtry died of cancer on December 25, 1994 at age 55, and Brown committed suicide by jumping off the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in April 1995. The Intruders today include Bobby Starr, Glenn Montgomery and Phil Gay. The group is featured on the "My Music DVD hosted by Patti LaBelle on PBS, and tour with the Love Train: Sound of Philadelphia Concert series.[8] There are also several tribute groups including "The Philly Intruders" who appear on The Big Show DVD, and "The Fabulous Intruders" founded by William Payton, Sr.
| Year | Album | Peak positions[9] | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
|||||
| 1967 | The Intruders Are Together | — | 23 | Gamble | ||
| 1968 | Cowboys to Girls | 112 | 11 | |||
| 1970 | When We Get Married | — | 48 | |||
| 1973 | Save the Children | 133 | 12 | |||
| 1974 | Energy of Love | — | 41 | TSOP | ||
| 1985 | Who Do You Love? | — | — | Streetwave | ||
| 2002 | How Long Has It Been | — | — | Moor Ent. | ||
| "—" denotes the release failed to chart | ||||||
| Year | Album | Peak positions[9] | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
|||||
| 1969 | Greatest Hits | 144 | 19 | Gamble | ||
| 1973 | Super Hits | 205 | 51 | |||
| 1994 | Philly Golden Classics | — | — | Collectables | ||
| 1995 | Cowboys to Girls: The Best of the Intruders | — | — | Epic/Legacy | ||
| 1998 | On the Move | — | — | Sony Music | ||
| 2002 | Super Hits | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes the release failed to chart | ||||||
| Year | Single | Chart positions[10][11] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
UK | ||||
| 1961 | "I'm Sold (On You)" | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | "This Is My Song" | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Gonna Be Strong" | — | — | — | ||
| "(We'll Be) United | 78 | 14 | — | |||
| "Devil with an Angel's Smile" | — | 29 | — | |||
| 1967 | "(You Better) Check Yourself" | — | — | — | ||
| "Together" | 48 | 9 | — | |||
| "Baby I'm Lonely" (A-side) | 70 | 28 | — | |||
| "Love That's Real" (B-side) | 82 | 35 | — | |||
| 1968 | "Cowboys to Girls" | 6 | 1 | — | ||
| "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game" | 26 | 4 | — | |||
| "Slow Drag" | 54 | 12 | — | |||
| 1969 | "Give Her a Transplant" | 104 | 23 | — | ||
| "Me Tarzan You Jane" | — | 41 | — | |||
| "Lollipop (I Like You)" | 101 | 22 | — | |||
| "Sad Girl" | 47 | 14 | — | |||
| "Old Love" | — | 35 | — | |||
| 1970 | "Tender (Was the Love We Knew)" | 119 | 25 | — | ||
| "When We Get Married" | 45 | 8 | — | |||
| "This Is My Love Song" | 85 | 22 | — | |||
| 1971 | "I'm Girl Scoutin'" | 88 | 16 | — | ||
| "Pray for Me" | 105 | 25 | — | |||
| "I Bet He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" | 92 | 20 | — | |||
| 1972 | "(Win, Place or Show) She's a Winner" | — | 12 | 14 | ||
| 1973 | "I'll Always Love My Mama (Part 1)" | 36 | 6 | 32 | ||
| "I Wanna Know Your Name" | 60 | 9 | — | |||
| 1974 | "Nice Girl Like You" | — | 21 | — | ||
| 1975 | "Rainy Days and Mondays" | — | 81 | — | ||
| "Plain Ol' Fashioned Girl" | — | — | — | |||
| 1979 | "Goodnight" | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Who Do You Love?" | — | — | 65 | ||
| 1985 | "Warm and Tender Love" | — | — | 99 | ||
| "—" denotes the release failed to chart | ||||||