John Whitehead

R&B vocalist, composer, and manufacturer John Whitehead remains to be most widely known for the smash “Ain’t Zero Stoppin’ Us Today,” the disco-era common he recorded with longtime collaborator Gene McFadden. Blessed July 2, 1948, Whitehead and McFadden had been raised within the same impoverished Philadelphia community. Still in senior high school, they produced the Epsilons with Whitehead’s cousin Ronald Lowry (afterwards an associate of Frankie Beverley’s Maze) and Allen Beatty in 1966, Otis Redding noticed the group perform and employed them as his support vocalists. The Epsilons also supported Arthur Conley on his traditional “Sweet Spirit Music,” but pursuing Redding’s tragic loss of life the group’s fortunes waned, and following the 1968 Stax one “The Echo” they dissolved. Whitehead and McFadden came back to Philadelphia, developing Talk of the city with Adam Knight and Lloyd Parks. Two singles, “Little Your Lovin'” and “AVOID BEING So Mean” made an appearance on North Bay in 1971; neither was popular, and Whitehead visited function in the mailroom from the fledgling Philadelphia International Information. He and McFadden also started writing songs, ultimately convincing Philadelphia International bosses Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff to hear their structure “Back again Stabbers.” Documented with the O’Jays in 1972, “Back again Stabbers” became the label’s initial silver record, and demonstrated a landmark within the progression of Philly spirit. As authors and companies McFadden and Whitehead would continue to rating 22 gold information, two platinum albums, and two Grammy nominations on the following six years — their strikes included Harold Melvin & the Blue Records’ “AWAKEN Everybody” and “Where ARE My Close friends,” alongside Archie Bell & the Drells’ “DON’T ALLOW Love ENABLE YOU TO GET Down.” The duo also revived their Chat of the city project, launching the singles “Super Groover (FOREVER Mover),” “Bumpin’ Boogie,” and “I AM SORRY” for the Philadelphia International spin-offs Gamble and TSOP. In 1978 they came back to the studio room as basically McFadden & Whitehead, documenting “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Today” in a single consider — Whitehead also made up a lot of the lyrics at that moment. The one was a worldwide blockbuster, topping the Billboard R&B graphs and later learning to be a Philadelphia sports activities anthem, however the duo demonstrated struggling to generate an effective follow-up, with “I Noticed It within a Appreciate Tune” and “I AM Pushed Apart” hardly scraping the graphs. After 1982’s Movin’ On, McFadden & Whitehead proceeded to go their separate methods — the last mentioned subsequently visited prison for taxes evasion, issuing the 1988 single LP I WANT Money Bad pursuing his discharge. He and McFadden reunited within the ’90s, executing at corporate occasions and disco nostalgia displays. ON, MAY 11, 2004, Whitehead was shot to loss of life while restoring his car on the Philadelphia road; he was 55-years-old.