Thom Bell, along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, was part of the holy trinity of Philly soul – the lustrous, aspirational sound that bossed the US R&B charts between the peaks of Motown in the 60s and disco in the late 70s. Bell was a supremely confident, classically trained songwriter and arranger who introduced the celeste, the french horn and the harpsichord to soul music. The results were classicssuch as Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) for the Delfonics, Back Stabbers for the O’Jays and You Make Me Feel Brand New by the Stylistics.