Editing Leon Huff (section)

== Philadelphia International Records ==

Gamble and Huff founded Philadelphia International Records in 1971 with backing from CBS Records, creating the vehicle through which they would achieve their greatest success. Huff's role extended beyond piano and production to include arrangements and overall musical direction. The label's headquarters at 309 South Broad Street became the epicenter of Philadelphia soul, where the duo assembled the musicians, engineers, and arrangers who would create the Sound of Philadelphia.<ref name="jackson"/>

The studio band that Huff helped organize, known as MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother), provided the lush musical foundation for countless hits. Players including Bobby Martin, Norman Harris, and Vince Montana created arrangements that elevated R&B toward classical sophistication while maintaining the emotional intensity that connected with audiences. Huff's piano often anchored these productions, his playing providing both rhythmic foundation and melodic embellishment.<ref name="brown"/>

Philadelphia International's hit recordings transformed American popular music. The O'Jays' "Love Train" and "For the Love of Money," Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me by Now," Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones," and MFSB's "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" demonstrated the range and consistency of Gamble and Huff's productions. These recordings sold millions while establishing Philadelphia as the center of soul music in the early 1970s, rivaling and eventually surpassing Detroit's Motown in cultural influence.<ref name="jackson"/>