Sampling a sample: It's not Daft, it's Birdsong

Kanye has won the bet against "50", Daft Punk are enlarging their fan base, West will grab a few
Grammys next February '08 and the motorcycle helmeted Parisians are topping Billboard's "electronic" charts beating Tiesto.

Kanye may have sampled the riff from Daft Punk for "Stronger", but the Frenchmen sampled it, from an Edwird Birdsong hidden gem, "Cola bottle baby", penned by Birdsong under Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International, twisted it and made it their own.

"It's a great blessing to have such creatively diverse and exceptional artists as Kanye West and Daft Punk sample a song I wrote and recorded more than 25 years ago," Birdsong says. "I am extremely grateful for the new revenue being generated and I have the highest respect for Gamble & Huff for having faith in my creative work and vision so many years ago."

Gamble & Huff comment: "Edwin Birdsong was a very unique and different artist under the PIR label, fusing electronica with soul music. He was ahead of his time. We are very happy with the success of the multiple-sampled song, especially when great artists like Kanye and Daft Punk put their creative spin on it."

Definitively agree with the Philadelphia International pioneers, in fact, if you listen to Birdsong's "Rapper, Snapper, Dapper" with your eyes closed, you'd situate it in the same league as Tyrone Brunson's "The Smurf" circa 1982. It's on Salsoul and it was recorded around the same time as "High" by Skyy in 1980, another Salsoul stable mate. Remember that at that time, things were moving very very fast as far as the evolution of music is concerned.

Every 13 minutes, a song penned or originally produced by Gamble & Huff is played on the radio somewhere in the world (If we include disco house, the figure must be higher). Their signature "Sound of Philadelphia" (T.S.O.P) sound is also extremely popular with ad agencies, film & television production units internationally. Over the years, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff have been responsible for 70 Number 1 Pop and R&B singles plus 175 Gold, Platinum and multi-platinum certifications. To date, the partnership has produced more than 3,500 songs and has been awarded five Grammys.

Huff must be tired of being named after Gamble over and over, how about Huff and Gamble instead for a change.

Discover Edwin Birdsong on his website right here