The Cayre's took note of a new trend called "Dance Music". Ken Cayre, Vice President and composer, arranger, producer Vince Montana, Jr. got the idea of blending Latin/Salsa sounds with R&B rhythms and underscoring it with the rich sound of Philadelphia strings. The idea led first to the creation of the word "Salsoul", a blending of "Salsa" and "Soul" first heard on the album of the same name by Joe Bataan on the Mericana label, owned by the Cayre Brothers. Joe had numerous Latin hits under his belt and was eventually dubbed the "King of Latin R&B".

The idea led to the formation of the Salsoul Records label and its first single release "The Salsoul Hustle" by the Salsoul Orchestra. The single reached #44 on Billboards' R&B list in September 1975 and caused a stir across the U.S.A. at radio, in clubs, the media and retail with its unique blending of sounds that was the beginning of something new and utterly fabulous. Its success led to an album "The Salsoul Orchestra" that entered the American Top 40 album charts on 2/7/76, peaked at #14 and was certified Gold in four months. The biggest hit from the album was their signature cut "Tangerine" - a #1 Pop hit for Jimmy Dorsey in 1942 done as only the Salsoul Orchestra could- which was responsible for the album's cross-over to top forty sales.

Vince Montana, Jr. also put together the players that formed the Salsoul Orchestra, the first Disco orchestra. Vince, from Philadelphia, was part of the creative force behind the "Philadelphia Sound" and M.F.S.B. Vince also produced the single "The Salsoul Hustle" and the album, as well as numerous other hits on the Salsoul Records label. The Orchestra was made up of over forty-two cutting edge musicians and vocalists. To say that the collective musical credentials shared amongst them is impressive is, at the least, an understatement. Vince and other members worked with everyone from Gloria Gaynor to Johnny Mathis, including Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, Eddie Kendricks, the Spinners, the Stylistics, Blue Magic, Lou Rawls, Charo, Vic Damone, Englebert Humperdink, Deniece Williams, the Jacksons and many others. The nucleus of the Salsoul Orchestra was: Don Renaldo, violin; Norman Harris, guitar; Earl Young, drums; Bobby "Electronic" Eli, guitar; Ron Baker, bass; Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey, keyboards and T.J. Tindel, guitar. They also featured vocalists Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson and Evette Benton. The remaining musicians were chosen because as Vince put it "I wanted to create a new orchestra that would capture your soul with love and pleasure and lift your spirit to a level of healing, musical excitement and delight, so overwhelming and outstanding, it would last for generations to come." Did he do it? Yes, indeed.

Following the success of the Salsoul Orchestra, Salsoul Records signed more talent, including Double Exposure, a group of four talented men from Philly who released their "Ten Percent" in the spring of 1976, a single lifted from their best-selling Baker-Harris-Young produced album of the same name. Further releases in '76 included an LP by the U.K.-born songstress Carol Williams entitled "'Lectric Lady", which was produced by Vince and contained the hit single "More". The following year, Eddie Holman, until then best known for his 1970 smash "Hey There Lonely Girl", bounced back on the charts with his first Salsoul single "This Will Be A Night To Remember". The Cayre's saw that the mixes heard in clubs were not made available for consumers. This prompted them to create the Salsoul Disco label, which would be devoted exclusively to extended Disco mixed versions on 12" vinyl, at the time called "Giant 45's". Double Exposure's "Ten Percent" was the first release. The mix was so hot and did so well, that competing labels started doing the same thing. This was basically the birth of the commercial remix. In 1977, Salsoul Disco also released "Spring Rain" by Argentinean (Bebu) Silvetti, which also did well.

Salsoul began acquiring labels through distribution deals, most notable the Gold Mine label, owned by Norman "The Harris Machine" Harris. Norman helped, along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, to build Philadelphia International and the first Gold Mine artist he introduced to the world was Loleatta Holloway, a lady with the most powerful and seductive voice imaginable. Loleatta is the diva behind such hits as "Hit & Run", "Love Sensation", "Dreamin'" and "Runaway", just to name a few. Gold Mine also released Love Committee, a group from Philly that was led by tenor Ronald "Ron" Tyson. The group had first scored in 1969, as the Ethics and on Gold Mind, Love Committee found further chart success with "Cheaters Never Win" and "Law and Order", both included on their subsequent LP, issued in 1978. Ron would some six years later join another great vocal group, namely the Temptations. Gold Mind's roster also boasted First Choice; Rochelle Fleming, Anette Guest and Ursula Herring, a lovely trio of ladies that Norman Harris and his partner Allan Felder discovered and had been working with since 1972. Five years before joining Gold Mind, First Choice had enjoyed several American and British hits with singles including "Armed And Extremely Dangerous" and "The Player" and would continue to ride the charts with Gold Mind releases like "Doctor Love" and "Double Cross". Salsoul's Free Spirit label proved to be a winner too, with Paul Mauriat scoring with his 20-year old updated "Love Is Still Blue" and Philly-group Creme D'Cocoa's "Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle".

Another one of Salsoul's success stories was Bunny Sigler and his protégées Instant Funk. Bunny wrote the hit "Let The Good Times Roll" and recorded it in 1967. For eight years after that he wrote and produced for Philadelphia International for artists like the O'Jays, Archie Bell and the Drells, Lou Rawls, Billy Paul and Wilson Pickett, and many others. Bunny was instrumental in much of the Philly sound in one way or another. The hits you will recall Bunny lacing us with as a soloist are "Keep Smilin'" ('74), "Let Me Party With You" ('78) and the 1978 duet with Loleatta Holloway "Only You". Taking Instant Funk to Salsoul was the best move Bunny made. "I was playing Instant Funk's 'I Got My Mind Made Up'" says Bunny "and the companies were turning it down. But Salsoul liked my ideas and I'm pleased they were rewarded with a Gold plaque for that record."

The label also went to release hits by Aurra, Inner Life Featuring Jocelyn Brown, Charo, Skyy, Rafael Cameron and many, many others who scored numerous Gold and Platinum LP's and a whole slew of #1 Dance and R&B singles. Salsoul has one of the most successful runs in music history.With the resurgence of releases, rest assured that Salsoul will once again bless music lovers with good-feeling, high-energy grooves that will put them back on the map and take them over the top.

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This bio is based on a document kindly submitted to me, Maria "Funkyflyy" Granditsky, by CNR Music in July '97. I have made some changes in the original text, such as correcting a few factual errors, the spelling of song titles, artists names, and added information regarding the artists and chart positions. There are many, many important Salsoul acts not mentioned in the bio above or on these Pages. They all deserve a Page of their own and hopefully in time, I'll be able to compile enough material to present at least some of those names properly here.