R&B's Sound of Philadelphia reached its peak in popularity around the mid-seventies. Heavy percussion, strings, horns, doo wop harmonies were all a part of the soundtrack behind some of the decade's biggest singing stars. Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, First Choice and the Ojays among them. The sound is often credited to two brilliant musicians and producers, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who partnered up in the 60's.
But there were others before them who established roots. Philly Soul's pioneers included a singer and a record label executive named Weldon McDougal, whose Harthon label preceded Gamble by a few years. Among the many talented Philadelphia singers that Weldon McDougall worked with was a teenager who recorded her first song with Weldon's group, The Four Larks.
About a year later, Barbara Mason, born on August 9, 1947, wrote a song that became her first and only Top Ten pop hit. It was produced by Weldon McDougal and released on Arctic Records, a label owned by a Philly DJ named Jimmy Bishop. She was still only 17 years old when “Yes I'm Ready” became a number 5 pop hit across the U.S.
Barbara Mason's later hits included “Oh, How It Hurts” and a song from the film Superfly that was written and produced for her by Curtis Mayfield.
Barbara Mason— singer, songwriter, and Philly Sound pioneer—performed in front of sold-out audiences as recently as 2017. Happy birthday, Barbara Mason!
Listen above.
Recommended Listening
"Yes, I'm Ready"
“Oh, How It Hurts"
"Give Me Your Love"
"From His Woman to You"
"Another Man"
Deep Cuts
"Dedicated to You" (her first, with The 4 Larks)
"If You Knew Him Like I Do"
