Soul Survivors (band)

History

The group originally performed together in New York as The Dedications, a name under which Kenny Jeremiah released several singles in 1962 and 1964. They adopted the name Soul Survivors in 1965 and signed with Philadelphia's Crimson Records, which connected them with producers Gamble & Huff. Their debut single "Expressway to Your Heart" became a regional number one in Philadelphia and New York in fall 1967, reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 nationally, spent fifteen weeks on the charts, and sold over one million copies.

The follow-up "Explosion in Your Soul" reached number thirty-three in the United States, and a third release, "Impossible Mission", became a minor hit in 1969 at number sixty-eight. After a hiatus, the group re-formed with a different lineup in 1972 and scored one more hit, "City of Brotherly Love", in 1974. During the 1970s the group lost its record contract and manager and eventually disbanded; members took up various occupations. Steely Dan referenced the group in their song "Hey Nineteen".

In 1987 the Ingui brothers began playing occasional gigs as the original Soul Survivors and signed a five-record contract in 1991 with Society Hill Records. As of 2006 they were playing occasional dates in the Eastern United States. Chuck Trois released a solo 45 rpm single on A&M Records in August 1969. Paul Venturini died on April 17, 2001; Richie Ingui died of heart failure on January 13, 2017, at age seventy; and Kenny Jeremiah died of COVID-19 on December 4, 2020, at age seventy-eight.