Michael Jackson & His Brothers Connected With the Sound of Philadelphia and Learned True Philly soul.
Michael Jackson’s new biopic, Michael, races through the familiar highlights. It shows Gary, Indiana, the Motown machine, the moonwalk, and the megastar years. As a result, the film feels built for the big screen, full of bright costumes, screaming fans, and landmark performances. Yet if you watch it in Philadelphia, there’s a chapter you can’t ignore. In fact, it’s the moment Michael and his brothers slide into the “Sound of Philadelphia.”
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In 1976, the Jackson 5 left Motown, dropped the “5,” and reemerged as The Jacksons on Epic Records. At the same time, that shift quietly opened the door to Philly. Tucked into the new deal was a detail that matters here. Their first two Epic albums, The Jacksons and Goin’ Places, were produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Consequently, they were cut in the same creative orbit as the O’Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and Billy Paul. These records also carried the Philadelphia International logo alongside Epic’s imprint. Therefore, the Jacksons became unlikely ambassadors of Philly soul to a global pop audience.
Gamble and Huff did more than give the group a new sound. Instead, they helped reintroduce them as young men instead of kid stars. “Enjoy Yourself,” the first breakout single of the era, pairs a funky guitar lick and punchy horns with a relaxed, confident Michael. In addition, “Show You the Way to Go” smooths things even further. It wraps his vocal in strings and slows the tempo just enough to feel grown without losing warmth.
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The deeper cuts also show how fully the Jacksons stepped into this world. For example, “Living Together” leans on lush arrangements and a message of unity that fits any classic PIR side. On Goin’ Places, the title track then rides a rolling groove that mirrors the group’s real‑life transition. Meanwhile, “Strength of One Man” taps into the label’s tradition of big, emotional ballads. Here, Michael and his brothers stretch into a more mature, soulful space.
So when the movie finally fades to black, Philly’s chapter is still playing in the background. For the fuller story, you simply have to drop the needle in our city.
This was the first major single after the group left Motown, written and produced by Gamble & Huff and recorded in the Philly orbit. Built around a funky guitar lick, big horns, and an infectious hook, it announces that the Jacksons can groove in a more mature, club‑ready space while still keeping that youthful Michael energy out front.
A smoother, more elegant side of the PIR collaboration, this song pairs a laid‑back Gamble & Huff arrangement with one of Michael’s most controlled, grown vocals of the period. It didn’t just chart well in the U.S.; it became a No. 1 hit in the U.K., proof that the Philly soul approach translated globally for the Jacksons.
Living Together – from The Jacksons (1976)
Not a single, but if you love the “Sound of Philadelphia,” this cut plays like a Jacksons‑fronted PIR deep groove: lush strings, punchy rhythm section, and a message‑leaning lyric about unity that would feel at home next to the O’Jays. It’s the kind of record that reminds you these sessions weren’t just about hits; they were about folding the Jacksons into an ongoing Philly soul story.
The title track of their second Gamble & Huff–produced Epic album, this song leans into themes of movement and ambition, echoing where the group actually was in their career. Musically, it’s classic late‑’70s Philly: rolling bass line, silky strings, and a sense of hopeful motion that feels like cruising down Broad Street at night with the radio up.
A more underrated ballad from the same album, this track showcases the emotive side of PIR’s orchestration and lets the brothers – especially Michael – stretch vocally in a grown‑folk context. It fits right in with the label’s tradition of big, dramatic slow songs, but with the added intrigue of a young superstar learning how to sing inside that framework.
Michael Jackson, Motown and Philly: The Jacksons’ Philadelphia International Era was originally published on classixphilly.com
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