Tuesday, January 17, 2017

1967 Bonus #4

And the hits just keep on comin'!!!


 
Our 1967 Series is a smash ... be sure to check the site daily ...http://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/
(We really hit our stride this past weekend!  The very first Super Bowl ... The Rolling Stones on Ed Sullivan ... The McCormick Place Fire ... behind the scenes on The Royal Guardsmen's big hit "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" ... and there's lots more great stuff coming!)


And be sure to keep up with all the extras via our brand new Bonus Website ... right here! 

Great thread about 1967.   
As you know, I grew up in the Midwest and was a fan of bands like The Buckinghams and The Cryan' Shames. We were all so young then and just wanted to be a part of the music we were hearing on stations like WLS and WCFL.  
In 1967, The Shondells and I could have gone either way ... become one or two hit wonders with garage sounding records like "Hanky Panky" and "Say I Am (What I Am)" and disappear ... or get to the next level.  
I Think We're Alone Now" was the record we needed to succeed. You haven't gotten to it yet in your Super Charts list, but it was our first hit of '67 and our first #1 (in Flint, Michigan!). When it reached #1 in Chicago, we couldn't believe it. There we were with The Stones, The Turtles, Mitch Ryder ... all these fantastic bands doing such exciting music.  
We had a total of five hits that year. When "Mirage" went Top 10 at WLS, The Buckinghams had a #1 with "Don't You Care," and at WBZ in Boston, The Rascals were on top with "Groovin'."  
Every time you turned around, there was another great band with a great record on the radio.  
I became good friends with many of the singers and groups that were around at that time, and am so glad to have been a part of the 1967 music scene.  
Thanks for all the memories, Kent. Look forward to your next posts. 
- Tommy James 
Thanks, Tommy.  "I Think We're Alone Now" is right around the corner ... and it was a HUGE hit here in Chicago (where "Mirage" also topped the charts that year!)  kk

My name is Jay Proctor, and I am the former lead singer of Jay and the Techniques.
I'm enjoying the forgottenhits ... brings back lots of memories ... thanks!  
Jay

Evenin' Kent ... 
Thanks for posting the song ... it was great fun ... and thanks for tons of memories!!! 
Good to see a lot of bands we knew and some we played gigs with.  
Bless ya, my friend.  
Barry Winslow / The Royal Guardsmen 

Amazing content, Kent. You really are the best.
I never saw that Hollies video.  Wow. Classic! 
Keep up the great work for those of us who really care. 
Warm regards -
Jimbo
(Jim Peterik / The Ides Of March)  
Rock on!!! 
Do yourself a favor and pick up this Hollies documentary ... it'll blow you away ...
It'll only cost you ten bucks and you'll watch it again and again! 
I've learned over the years that ALL of the Chicagoland '60's groups were heavily influenced by The Hollies, who always did pretty well on the charts here in Chicago, too.  Trust me ... you'll LOVE this!  (kk)

Here's our original review from when this dvd was first released ...
A MUST HAVE for all Hollies fans, British Invasion fans and "good music" fans everywhere!  (kk)

Because they were in the process of changing labels here in The States, The Hollies had SIX Top 50 Chart Hits in 1967.  (Incredible!)  They were (in consecutive order) "On A Carousel" (#7); "Pay You Back With Interest" (#28); "Carrie Anne" (#9); "Just One Look" (#44); "King Midas In Reverse" (#46) and "Dear Eloise" (#40).  A pretty impressive body of work, especially coming after their last two chart hits of 1966, "Bus Stop" (#3) and "Stop Stop Stop" (#5).  kk


January, 1967!  What a time to be "in your backyard" of Chicago land teen clubs!  
Here from the 1-19-67 Arlington Heights Herald "High School Highlights" page comes what's going on in the clubs mid-January, 1967.  "Exam schedule?"  Wouldn't kids just be getting back in class now? 
Clark Besch


I noticed that on the WLS January 13, 1967 chart there at number 40 was a song by The Vogues, "That's the Tune" I had never heard before.  I looked it up and found it on youtube.  I was amazed that it was written by the Bubblegum specialists Artie Renick and Joey Levine.  I wonder if The Vogues were trying to crack into the Bubblegum rage.  It was quite the catchy tune and for sure I will be playing it again.  Thanks for the charts ... they are both interesting and educating. I wish I had saved my charts from WHB.  I kept them for many years but sometime in the late 70s pitched them all. It is good to see some from the midwest, that included some local hits as well as the national hits.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGUHUBPuOV0  
O 
I honestly don't remember hearing this one before.  The Vouges reinvented themselves a couple of times ... this one peaked at #97 nationally in 1967.  A year later they'd be up near the top of the charts with the lush sounding "Turn Around, Look At Me"  Their 1965 Hit "Five O'Clock World" was a #1 Record here in Chicago, too.  (kk) 

Hi Kent:
I've always loved the chiming Byrds-like guitar on the Nightcrawler's "The Little Black Egg". It was first released in 1965 and I remember hearing it on WKYC Cleveland back then. I have both the Kapp 2:44 minute deejay copy single and the extended 3:23 version on a cd. Working at a Florida radio station in 66-67 we played the inferior Music Explosion version which predates their "Little Bit O' Soul" hit. The Cars did it on their anthology cd released in 1995. Later in 1967 we played a Nightcrawler's single "I Won't Tell" but by then they were calling themselves Conlon and the Crawlers. I always thought the egg song was about miscegenation.
Mike G  
How diverse were the music charts back in 1967?  Scroll back to our January 13th posting to see that "Little Black Egg" by The Nightcrawlers and "Tiny Bubbles" by Don Ho both premiered on the charts the same week!  Man, music was fun back then!  (And am I the only one out there that thinks Don Ho sounded an awful lot like a "slightly more sober" Dean Martin?!?!?)  kk 

Hi Kent!
Just heard you talk to Lou Simon on Sirius XM's Diner Show. 
I am a great fan of the show and a friend of Lou's.  Happy New Year!
What a great idea and a great site.  Thanks!  Could you sign me up for your newsletter, etc.?
An interesting 1967 fact ...
I now live in Los Angeles (Glendale - Lou knows me as "Pat from Glendale") ... but I am originally from Long Island, NY.
In July, 1967, I saw The Monkees at the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium.  Jimi Hendrix was the opening act and we had no idea who he was!  Turns out, he walked off of the tour during the Forest Hills gig, never to return!  Years later I met Micky Dolenz and mentioned I was at the Forest Hills gig (turns out there were three dates during Forest Hills ... he didn't walk off the date I was there).  Anyway, Micky said, "Oh yeah, he was made because the girls were screaming for Davy to come out on the stage ...".  Aaaaah youth!  Thought you'd enjoy hearing this story!
I look forward to being part of your site Kent.  Thanks so much for doing this!
Rock on,
Pat Tyson
With a screen name like "GeorgyGirl" I figure you've got to be a pretty big fan of 1967!!!  Welcome aboard!
We cover the Jimi Hendrix / Monkees tour in all its glory ... coming soon as our 1967 Calendar continues.  For more on this, you may want to check out our OTHER site, too, where we ran a profile of Jimi several years ago.
(You'll also find quite a bit of Monkees information there, too, thanks to our profile of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart!)
Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy Forgotten Hits!  (kk)

And, speaking of Jimi Hendrix ...

Thanks for posting the note on Jimi Hendrix recording Purple Haze. Most people don't know he actually used a Telecaster, not a Stratocaster when he recorded the track. 
1967 was a very big year for Hendrix.  He signed a record contract with Track Records and, on January 11th, The Jimi Hendrix Experience held a recording session at DeLane Lea studios, laying down a basic track for “Purple Haze” and also working on “The Wind Cries Mary” and “51st Anniversary”.  
For Hendrix afficianados, did you know that Jimi recorded “Purple Haze” with a Telecaster ... and not a Stratocaster?
That’s right. Roger Mayer has acknowledged in previous interviews that Jimi’s Strat was damaged at a gig before the recording session and Noel Redding had to go and borrow a Telecaster he once owned from one of his own bandmates for the session. Chris Adams tracks the details and history of that guitar in the new book The Grail Guitar. 
Mitch Mitchell recalls, “With ‘Purple Haze,’  Hendrix came in and kind of hummed us the riff and showed Noel the chord and the changes. I listened to it and went, ‘Okay let’s do it.’ We got it on the third take as I recall.” 
Chas Chandler recalls, “We were recording the B side of ‘Purple Haze’ and there was 20 minutes left in the studio and Jimi had written ‘The Wind Cries Mary’ the night before at home. Mitch and Noel had never heard the song before. It was recorded, including five guitar overdubs, in the 20 minutes.”   
-- Ken Voss  
Our well-acclaimed Hendrix article is permanently posted on the Forgotten Hits website here ... http://forgottenhits.com/jimi_hendrix ...   
And Ken posts a daily Hendrix Chronology Page.  If you're interested in joining his group, please drop him a line at
voodoochild5464@gmail.com

Hi Kent,
Jeff March sent me your info. He mentioned you are putting together some 1967 stories. 50 years later, wow. Doesn't seem possible.
Well, Denny Ellis, Willy Fulton and I were out of the Grass Roots in '67 but Denny and I were recording with David Meltzer in a band called The Serpent Power.
The Serpent Power album came out on Vanguard and wasn't much to speak about success wise. However the album took on a cult following later on and was voted by Rolling Stone magazine as one of their Best of 1967 for the magazines 40th anniversary issue.
I'm heading to Thailand for about a month so will be somewhat out of the loop.  However, I do have a story written up about my Serpent Power days on my web page www.gungadave.xbuild.com (or simply google Gunga's Farm) Feel free to use whatever you like off my site. You may enjoy reading other stories on the Farm as well.
Take care,
David Stensen
A quick look at David's site shows some GREAT early Grass Roots stories (and gives you some idea as to how the record business worked back then!) as well as his recap of the Serpent Power years.  Fascinating reading so please check it out if you get the chance. (We've covered The Grass Roots hundreds of times over the years in Forgotten Hits ... but David shines some new light on those early years before a whole new band was created to cover the mega-hit years.  He was also interviewed for Jeff March's and Marti Smiley Child's book "Where Have All The Pop Stars Gone?, Volume 2", which you'll also find to be quite informative, as all their books are.
And, speaking of The Grass Roots, we also heard that Creed Bratton is unable to participate in our year-long revisit to 1967 as he is currently working on his SEVENTH solo album!!!  (Damn ... was a MAJOR fan of his on "The Office" ... and, of course, his work with The Grass Roots was outstanding.
You can check out Creed's site here:  http://www.creedbratton.com/#home  

After being off network TV for eight years, "Dragnet", starring Jack Webb returned to NBC for four seasons. Webb tried to get Ben Alexander to rejoin him as his partner Frank Smith, but Alexander was committed to an ABC police series, "Felony Squad," and its producers would not release him. Reluctantly Webb recast the role of Joe Friday's partner as Bill Gannon, played by movie and TV veteran Harry Morgan. 
Good luck with the 1967 series. I know how much work you've put into it. 
Wish I had some music or radio memories to contribute but I was in the Army during all of 1967. 
(I already had a six-year radio career and was working at WIXY - Cleveland when I was drafted into the U.S. Army in early 1966. So, yeah, I was thinking about a radio career ... about getting BACK to mine when the military hitch was over!) 
Bob Dearborn
Harry Morgan had starred in several TV  Series before he joined "Dragnet", including comedies like "Pete And Gladys".  After the departure of McLean Stevenson on "M*A*S*H, a lot of people wondered if they could hold their audience, especially since McLean was such a "call out" star ... but Colonel Sherman Potter (how weird ... he's a Harry and a Potter!) stepped right in to fill the void ... and Stevenson's career went virtually nowhere after that. 
Bob, of course, was one of our favorite WCFL jocks back in the day ... and publishes the daily "Olde Disc Jockey Almanac", featuring a calendar of ALL the events of any given day throughout history.  (See, we took the easy route and only concentrated on one year!  lol) kk http://oldediscjockeysalmanac.blogspot.com/ 

I'd like to mention a record released in December, 1966, that failed to chart in the US but did for one week in England in January, 1967. It's Tim Hardin's beautiful heartfelt "(How Can We) Hang On To A Dream".
The radio station I worked for at the time never played it but I still have the Verve special deejay copy. It's a VERY beautiful song about losing a woman's love. Although in my opinion he does it best, I also have it on cd's by England's The Nice and Cliff Richard. You can find Hardin's studio version on
You Tube (and also by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and by the Moody Blues). Hardin also penned "If I Were A Carpenter", "Reason To Believe", "Don't Make Promises", and the autobiographical "The Lady Came From Baltimore". Admired by his peers, he was a songwriting genius who was tragically addicted to heroin and died from an overdose exactly three weeks after John Lennon's death. He was 39 years old.
Mike G  
Bobby Darin was a big fan of Tim Hardin's music and recorded a few of his songs, including three that you mentioned ... "If I Were A Carpenter" (#5, 1966), "Reason To Believe" (which wound up on the B-Side of his follow-up release, "The Girl That Stood Beside Me", and "The Lady Came From Baltimore" (#62, 1967).  Hardin repaid the favor by recording Bobby's "Simple Song Of Freedom", which became his only chart single, peaking at #47 in 1969.  (Watch for Bobby's 1967 Hit "Lovin' You" to show up any day now in our new 1967 Calendar Series!)  kk

I am enjoying my daily dose of FH1967.
Have a great weekend, Go Pats,
CharlieOFD

January 15, 1967 -- Go Pack Go!
Ken Freck 

Kent,
My apologies to anyone who was listening to the live stream of the Jan. 11 edition of Randy on the Radio on Top Shelf Oldies. There was a lot of buffering during the show, due to internet problems on the part of the person doing the streaming. The show is archived at http://www.ramtownlive.com/randyontheradio.html for anyone who wants to listen without the interruptions caused by the buffering. (I hope to rectify that problem in the future by doing my own streaming.)
By the way, in addition to airing tracks from the upcoming new Eric Records releases "Hard To Find 45s on CD" I also played two songs that debuted this week in '67 on the SuperCharts and gave out the Forgotten Hits URL and your email address. 
– Randy Price  
Thanks, Randy ... and it looks like we'll be doing Mark Dawson's first show in March celebrating our new 1967 Series, too!  (We'll send a reminder Listen Live Link as we get closer to airtime)  And we're going to be on Phil Nee's "Those Were The Days" program in February.  (More details to come.)  kk   

Hey Kent,
Let's do your "pick 6 from 67" idea on my March 2nd show. What do you say? 
 ~ "Making Noise with Mark Dawson" featuring Kent Kotal and his six best of 1967, Thursday, March 2, at 9 pm eastern time on OurGenerationRadio.com ~
Yeah. I kinda like the way it sounds. But I'm also going to throw a little curve at you. If you agree to come on the show, you'll also have to share your opinion of "The Worst Song Ever Recorded" (in 1967). It's a weekly (or weakly) thing we do. And it's FUN!!  
Just say the word, and it's on!!!  
See you at Star Plaza ...  
Mark Dawson
This is gonna be blast!  Thanks, Mark!  (kk)

Hey Kent ...
It looks like most of the radio survey lists agreed on the record lists and the top songs.  Thinking back, 1967 was a good year ... lots of great music! Thanks for reminding me what a great year it was, musically and otherwise.
Ah ... the good old days! Yes, I remember them well.
Sandy
It was a very exciting time in music ... and in radio here in Chicago in 1967 .... we had two AM GIANTS competing for listeners, seeing who could play the latest hits and exclusives first ... as such, we the listeners were treated to non-stop entertainment.  And, keep in mind, this was back in the day when "personality radio" ruled the airwaves ... the jocks were as popular as the artists ... so the "in between time" between records was just as much fun to listen to as the music itself, a radio art long missing these days.
I've found that, in most cases, the majority of The Top 20 songs were the same, although sometimes in drastically different rankings.  (Weird, because both stations were monitoring the same audience of record buyers and listeners.)  Listeners may have been the key, however, as both stations also ran daily requests and countdowns of each day's most popular requested tunes.
I've been trying to get a station here in Chicago to put together a weekly Top 20 Countdown of Chicagoland Hits from 1967 ... there are a couple of good candidates for this but nothing etched in stone yet.  There are enough "bonus tracks" and weekly news headlines to easily fill a 90-minute slot ... 25 songs each Friday from 10:30 am till noon ... featuring The Top 20 Tunes, any discrepancy tracks that may have made one chart but not the other, the top debut of the week, a track from that week's #1 album and key pop culture events culled from our daily FH Calendar for that week in '67.  I'm telling you, it's a hit waiting to happen ... appointment radio that'll get listeners tuning in every Friday just to hear this show.
Think about it ... THE FABULOUS FRIDAY FORGOTTEN HITS FIFTY YEAR FLASHBACK CHICAGOLAND COUNTDOWN ... that's a whole lotta F's!!!  Heck, you've GOT to expand the program to 90 minutes just to be able to say the title three or four times during the show!!!
If there's anybody out there interested in putting this thing together, please give me a call.  (I've already talked to a couple of radio stations about doing this ... just waiting for somebody to pull the trigger!)  Now's your chance to jump on this before somebody else snatches the idea!  (kk)
Phil Nee of WRCO sent us a short clip (attached) showing one of the ways he's helping to promote our 1967 Series on his end.  Listening to Me-TV-FM and Scott Shannon this past week it's INCREDIBLE how much music from 1967 is regularly featured on these programs ... sometimes three or four songs in a single hour!  Hopefully, you're discovering (or REdiscovering) just how much great music came out of this era with our daily calendar posts.  (kk)

***FRIDAY, JANUARY 20th ... by popular DEMAND ...  
THE BOX TOPS return to Bethlehem, PA ...
THE MUSIKFEST CAFE ... 730 pm show***
Rick Levy
A busy year for The Box Tops, also touring as part of The Happy Together Tour this year (along with The Association, The Cowsills, Chuck Negron, Ron Dante and The Turtles) as well as doing solo shows. (Hope to see you when the show hits Chicago this summer)
Here's another 1967 tie-in ... both The Association and The Turtles played at my High School that year!!!  The first to rock concerts I ever went to on my own!
And congratulations to Rick Levy, their guitarist and musical director, who just became a Grandpa when Avery Quinn Levy was born on January 13th!


Happy Together Confirmed Tour Dates:   
(more dates coming ... stay tuned!)
Friday, June 9th - Imperial Palace - Biloxi, MS
Saturday, June 10th - Ruth Eckerd Hall - Clearwater, FL
Sunday, June 11th - Florida Theatre - Jacksonville, FL
Tuesday, June 13th - Community Theatre at Mayo Performing Arts Center - Morristown, NJ
Wednesday, June 14th - State Theatre - New Brunswick, NJ
Thursday, June 15th - Calvin Theatre - Northampton, MA
Friday, June 16th - NYCB Theatre at Westbury - Westbury, NY
Saturday, June 17th - The Palace Theater - Albany, NY
Sunday, June 18th - Tarrytown Music Hall - Tarrytown, NY
Tuesday, June 20th - Bergen Performing Arts Center - Englewood, NJ
Wednesday, June 21st - Keswick Theater - Glenside, PA
Thursday, June 22nd - Penn's Peak - Jim Thorpe, PA
Friday, June 23rd - Williamsport Community Arts Center - Williamsport, PA
Saturday, June 24th - American Music Theatre - Lancaster, PA
Sunday, June 25th - Hampton Beach Casino - Hampton Beach, NH
Tuesday, July 4th - Marin County Fair - San Rafael, CA
Friday, July 7th - Cache Creek Casino - Brooks, CA
Wednesday, July 15th - Saban Theatre - Beverly Hills, CA
Thursday, August 10th - Fraze Pavilion - Dayton, OH
Thursday, August 17th - Ryman Auditorium - Nashville, TN
Be sure to catch this show when it hits your area ... this is a GREAT line-up of artists!

REMEMBERING A DEAR FRIEND: 
(The Passing of RICHIE INGUI) 
We learned with great sadness on Friday that RICHIE INGUI, great soul singer and original founding member of the  SOUL SURVIVORS, had left us.
CHARLIE, JOAN and the entire GRACIE FAMILY sends its love, prayers and deepest sympathy to the family and to his devoted brother and group member, CHARLIE INGUI.  
"This is a terrible loss for our musical family and a great  personal loss. To me, RICHIE, CHARLIE and KENNY JEREMIAH are still 'kids,' younger brothers whom I love and admire greatly. Plus we always reveled in the fact that we were brothers in  ethnicity: we are proud SICILIAN AMERICANS! We worked together a number of times and it was always like a warm, family reunion!  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. GOD BLESS and KEEP his SOUL."
🦋 Charlie Gracie


PHOTOS:
1: Richie Ingui (purple polo) with brother Charlie Ingui, Charlie Gracie and Steve Caldwell of the Orlons
2: Richie and brother Charlie with Charlie Gracie and Bobby Rydell
3: Richie and Charlie Ingui with Charlie Gracie and agent Alan Newman at the Wells Fargo Center






The Soul Survivors are an important part of our 1967 calendar.  Their hit "Expressway To Your Heart" was a Top Five Hit during the last quarter of the year ... and their follow-up single, "Explosion In My Soul" premiered on the chart right at year's end.
We last heard from Charlie Ingui back in 2008 when he updated us on their current line-up, their hits and an upcoming show ...

'60's FLASHBACK:
Hi Kent,
I just returned from Atlantic City where we took part in the Sound of Philadelphia Reunion show which was taped for broadcast on PBS. It was a great show and included just about every act from Philadelphia International Records. It was great to be reunited with the likes of the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Delphonics, Teddy Pendergrass and many more.
In answer to some of your questions, we've had several incarnations of the back up band through the years, but my brother and I ARE the Soul Survivors. Kenny Jeremiah was indeed the third singer in the original group but he has been with several of his own groups since 1970. We still remain close friends and we are in touch all the time. The lineup for "Expressway ... " and "Explosion ... " was my brother Richie, Kenny, me, Joe Forgione on drums, Chuck Trois on guitar and Paul Venturini on organ. Leon Huff played piano and a studio bass player named Winnie Winfred also played on "Expressway". As you stated, "Expressway" was Gamble and Huff's first crossover hit and they acknowledge that fact often.
We are currently working on a recording project with Jimmy Bralower and Johnny Gale. Their recent production of "This Is Ryan Shaw" has been very successful and we are happy to be involved with these two talented producers. For anyone in the South Jersey area, we will appear at the Broadway Theater in Pitman, N.J. on Saturday, June 21, along with Charlie Thomas's Drifters, Kenny Vance and the Planotones and the Bronx Wanderers.
Thanks again for your interest,
Charlie Ingui
The Soul Survivors 

PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS CO-FOUNDERS AND LEGENDARY PRODUCERS KENNETH GAMBLE & LEON HUFF MOURN THE LOSS OF RICHIE INGUI OF THE SOUL SURVIVORS



 Charlie Ingui, left, and his late brother, Richie, in a recent performance as The Soul Survivors
Courtesy Gamble Huff Entertainment

Group's Biggest Hit, 'Expressway To Your Heart,' 
Launched The Sound Of Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – Legendary Philadelphia International Records co-founders and R&B pioneers Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff released the following joint statement today as they mourned the passing this weekend of Richie Ingui of The Soul Survivors, whose 1967 crossover classic, “Expressway to Your Heart,” launched The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP) as the first of dozens of hits for Gamble & Huff as songwriters and producers. Richie and his brother Charlie continued to perform and record together as the Soul Survivors, and were preparing to mark the song’s 50th anniversary this year: 
"We send our very sincere condolences to Charlie and Richie's families. Not only did they bring our Philly Sound and Gamble & Huff to the national spotlight first with the hit song "Expressway to Your Heart," but they were truly like Brothers to us. Richie was a true soul singer who sang from the heart. We will truly miss him, and the unique and mellow voice he brought to of this amazing group, the Soul Survivors." 
“Expressway to Your Heart” became the first “crossover” hit for The Soul Survivors, reaching #3 on the R&B chart and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967. It also was ranked #18 on Billboard magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1967. Kenny Gamble has been frequently quoted saying he wrote the lyrics while he was driving on the Schuylkill Expressway, en route to visit his girlfriend at the time, teen pop sensation Dee Dee Sharp (“Mashed Potato Time”). Gamble & Huff loaded "Expressway to Your Heart" with honking horns and other automotive sound effects, but the record's principal strength lay in its soulful vocals and pounding beat. 
The Ingui brothers last performed together in November at the Marian Anderson Awards at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Charlie and Richie captivated the crowd with an extended Gamble & Huff medley, closing their set with a scording rendition of "Expressway." 
The Soul Survivors first played together in New York as The Dedications before relocating to Philadelphia, where Gamble & Huff started working with them. "Expressway to Your Heart" was a #1 hit regionally in Philadelphia and New York in the fall of 1967, and wound up spending 15 weeks on the Billboard charts and selling over one million copies. 
Once “Expressway” became a huge hit, the group toured extensively, appearing on the same bills with such diverse acts as Jackie Wilson, The Miracles, Sam and Dave, Janis Joplin, the Beach Boys and Sly and the Family Stone, among many others. 
Subsequent hits for the Soul Survivors included, “Explosion In My Soul,” “Mission Impossible (Impossible Mission),” and “City of Brotherly Love.” 
For the past few years, the Ingui brothers have supplemented their touring as The Soul Survivors as part of David Uosikkinen’s “In the Pocket” project, an all-star collective of musicians who have contributed to the musical history of Philadelphia. Charlie and Richie also sang on In the Pocket’s recent remake of “Expressway to Your Heart.” 
In 2013, The Soul Survivors were honored by Philadelphia International Records with the annual Phillies Gamble & Huff Community Partnership Award at Citizens Bank Park.
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