McFadden & Whitehead

Early career

Gene McFadden and John Whitehead first crossed paths as teenagers in a Philadelphia school during the 1960s, where they launched a group called The Epsilons alongside Allen Beatty, James Knight, and Lloyd Parks. When Otis Redding visited Philadelphia, The Epsilons were asked to join his revue, and they toured with him through the late 1960s until Redding died in a 1967 plane crash. Capitalizing on that exposure, they secured a modest deal with Stax Records and saw some success in 1970 with the single "The Echo."

After Lloyd Parks left to join Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, McFadden and Whitehead rebranded as Talk of the Town and began working with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who developed their skills on the North Bay label. Recognizing the duo’s songwriting and production talents, Gamble and Huff brought them into Philadelphia International Records (PIR) for the 1970s, starting with collaboration on "I'll Always Love My Mama" for The Intruders. At PIR, their work appeared on the O’Jays’ 1972 hit "Back Stabbers," which climbed to number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, as well as on Archie Bell & the Drells’ tracks "Let’s Groove," "The Soul City Walk," "Strategy," and "Don’t Let Love Get You Down."

The pair also penned songs for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, including "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody," "Prayin’" (released on the Source label), and "Where Are All My Friends." For Teddy Pendergrass, they wrote "The More I Get, The More I Want" and "Cold, Cold World," and for Carolyn Crawford, "Just Got To Be More Careful." Many of these songs were co-written with their associate Victor Carstaphen. Beyond their own writing, McFadden and Whitehead worked as a production team with producer Rahni Song and with artists such as Melba Moore, Freddie Jackson, Gloria Gaynor, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Jackson 5, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Lou Rawls, Willie Collins, Jerry Bell, and Beau Williams.

Rise to stardom

Gene McFadden and John Whitehead began working together as the duo McFadden & Whitehead in 1977. While they wrote and produced many songs for other artists, their own biggest success came in 1979 with the dance track "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now." That song, from their self-titled album, reached number 13 on the US Hot 100 and topped the R&B chart. It has sold two million copies in the United States since its release and earned a Grammy nomination in 1980.

In 1981, two new versions of the song came out one after the other: one for the Philadelphia Phillies and one for the Philadelphia Eagles, both issued on the T.S.O.P. subsidiary label. After leaving PIR, the duo re-recorded the track in 1984 for New York-based Sutra Records under the title "Ain't No Stoppin' (Ain't No Way)" and then pursued separate projects. They appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, performing their one major hit during an episode that highlighted popular songs from the 1970s.

Early career

Among the songs McFadden & Whitehead co-wrote or produced for other acts are: "Back Stabbers" (the O'Jays), "Bad Luck" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), "Wake Up Everybody" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), "Where Are All My Friends" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes), "I'll Always Love My Mama" (The Intruders), "Let's Groove" (Archie Bell & the Drells), "The Strength of One Man" (The Jacksons), "I Don't Want To Lose Your Love" (Freddie Jackson), "Standing Right Here" (Melba Moore), "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance" (Melba Moore), "Let's Stand Together" (Melba Moore), "Let's Mend What's Been Broken" (Gloria Gaynor), "Determination" (Willie Collins), "I Got the Love" (McFadden & Whitehead), "You're My Somebody to Love" (McFadden & Whitehead), "I've Been Pushed Aside" (McFadden & Whitehead), "Got to Change" (McFadden & Whitehead), "Do You Want to Dance?"

(McFadden & Whitehead), "Just Wanna Love You Baby" (McFadden & Whitehead), "Mr. Music" (McFadden & Whitehead), "This Is My Song" (McFadden & Whitehead), and "All the Man You Need" (Jerry Bell).

Did You Know?

• John Whitehead was murdered on the street outside his Philadelphia home studio on May 11, 2004; the case remains unsolved as of 2022.
• Gene McFadden died of liver and lung cancer on January 27, 2006, at age 56.