Aired on Treasure Island Oldies – Jan 2020
Back in 1972 at the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, a Top 10 record was produced that was erroneously thought to be drug related.
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On October 15, 2015, the original building for Sigma Sound Studios was officially dedicated as a historic site by the city of Philadelphia. And rightly so, given that Sigma Sound is credited with well over 200 gold and platinum awards with an extensive client list that began with Aretha Franklin and ended with ZZ Top.
Sigma Sound was instrumental in creating the “Philly Sound” and a lot of that had to do with their house band, MSFB, who would go on to have their own hit in 1973, “TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia).”
One of the great Philadelphia soul groups that recorded at Sigma Sound was a group known for its ballads that featured the soaring falsetto voice of lead singer, Russell Thompkins Jr.
The group would go on to chart 17 times on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1971 thru 1976 with many of their releases crossing over to the R&B and easy listening charts.
It was their 6th chart release in 1972 that created a bit of controversy. Some listeners thought that the dominant lyrics of this ballad were drug related.
In actual fact, this song is about giving everything up for love, and it’s a great example of how, in the soul music milieu, the word “stone” often means “utterly devoted.”
So, here are the Stylistics with their non-drug, love ballad, “I’m Stone In Love With You,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube listing of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYzO6PuROVY
This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.
