Iconic BMI Songwriters Gamble & Huff Elected Co-Chairmen of Songwriters Hall of Fame
Legendary BMI songwriting and producing duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who are responsible for such hits as The Supremes’ “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me,” Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” The O Jays’ “Love Train” and the theme song for Soul Train, have now been elected as co-chairmen of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The pair, who were inducted into the SHOF in 1995, received the Hall’s prestigious Johnny Mercer Award in 2014, reserved for previously inducted songwriters whose work continues to be of the highest quality and impact. Gamble and Huff have been making hits for more than 50 years, penning more than 3,500 tunes all together, with 30 pop and R&B charting singles, 50 RIAA gold and platinum certifications, 5 GRAMMYS and 86 BMI Pop and R&B Awards.
Having met while in the band the Romeos, with Gamble as a singer and Huff on the keyboards, the iconic collaborators soon realized their mutual love of songwriting and formed the production company, Philadelphia International Records. During the 1960s and 70s, they wrote for acts such as the Soul Survivors, Jerry Butler, Lou Rawls, Nancy Wilson and Shirley Jones and the Jones Girls. Penning tunes for Patti Labelle and Phyllis Hyman through the 1980s and 90s, the pair was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Foundation’s Walk of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, received the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Trustees Award and was honored with a spot in the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005. They were also honored with an Ivor Novello Award by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters in 2006, and secured their place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. Congratulations, Gamble and Huff, on one more prestigious accolade!
Community
Connect with BMI & Professional Songwriters