The Intruders

As the first group to score hits with the songwriting/production team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, The Intruders played a major role in the rise of Philadelphia soul, but are sometimes lost in the shuffle amid better-known acts like The O'jays or Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. The Intruders were originally formed as a doo wop group in 1960, and sang around Philadelphia for several years. Lead singer Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "bird" Daughtry, Phil Terry, and Robert "big Sonny" Edwards signed with Gamble and Huff's fledgling Gamble label in 1966. They scored a Top 20 R&B hit that year with "(We'll Be) United," and followed it up a year later with "Together," as well as their first album, The Intruders Are Together. 1968, though, was The Intruders' breakthrough year: "Cowboys to Girls," a template for what would become Philly soul's trademark sound, topped the R&B charts and climbed to number six on the pop side, giving the group their biggest hit. The follow-up, "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game," was their only other Top 40 pop hit, and the accompanying LP, Cowboys To Girls, wound up their most popular.

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