Soul Survivors
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1962-66) as The Dedications - Charles Ingui -- lead vocals - Richard Ingui (RIP 2017) -- lead vocals - Kenny Jeremiah (RIP 2020) -- lead vocals
line up 2 (1966-67) as The Soul Survuvors NEW - Joey Forgioni -- drums, percussion - Charles Ingui -- lead vocals - Richard Ingui (RIP 2017) -- lead vocals - Kenny Jeremiah (RIP 2020) -- lead vocals NEW - Chuck Trois -- lead guitar NEW- Novac Noury (aka Jerry Noury) - organ NEW - Paul Venturini (RIP 2001) -- keyboards
line up 3 (1967) - Joey Forgioni -- drums, percussion - Charles Ingui -- lead vocals - Richard Ingui (RIP 2017) -- lead vocals - Kenny Jeremiah (RIP 2020) -- lead vocals NEW - Edward Leonetti -- lead guitar (replaced Chuck Trois) NEW- Sal Rota -- keyboards (replaced Paul Venturini) - Ronnie Vance -- bass
line-up 4 (1974-76) NEW - Freddie Beckmeier -- vocals, bass, lead guitar - Steve Beckmeier -- lead guitar NEW - Mike DiMartinis -- guitar, vocals - John "Beedo" Dzubak -- vocals, drums, percussion NEW - Charles Ingui -- lead vocals - Richard Ingui (RIP 2017) -- lead vocals NEW - Neil Larsen -- keyboards NEW - Mario Flamini -- drums, percussion NEW - Kevin Irvine -- keyboards, vocals NEW - David Kershner-- trumpet NEW - Frank Pagliante -- bass NEW - Jim Verdeur-- sax
supporting musicians: (1974) - Carla Benson -- backing vocals - Evette Benton - vocals - Barbara Ingram -- backing vocals - Larry Washington -- percussion - MIke Ziegler -- rhythm guitar
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- 1910 Fruitgum Company (Chuck Trois) - Confetti (Kenny Jeremiah) - The Dedications (Charles Ingui, Richard Ingui (and Kenny Jeremiah) - Full Moon (Neil Larsen) - Great Train Robbery (Chuck Trois) - Charles Ingui (solo efforts) - Neil Larsen (solo efforts) - Larsen-Feiten Band - Privilege (Edward Leonetti and Paul Venturini) - Scorpion (Kenny Jeremiah) - Shirley & Company (Kenny Jeremiah) - Steeplechase (Joseph Fogioni) - The Swampseeds (Edward Leonetti) - Charles Trois and the Amazing Maze - Charles Trois & the National Bank
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Genre: soul Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Soul Survivors Company: TSOP Catalog: KZ
33186 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $20.00
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Hearing it on the American Forces Network while living in Germany, 'Expressway To Your Heart' is one of my earliest musical memories. In 1967 I would have been eight years old. The fact that some six decades later the opening chords instantly resonate with me speaks volumes for what a classic tune it remains.
I've owned the first two Soul Survivors albums for years, but for some reason their third and final collection remained a mystery to me until I stumbled across a copy at a local yard sale. In fact, when I found a copy of the album I hesitated to make the purchase. This couldn't be the same band? Signed to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's TSOP subsidiary? Packaged in an anonymous disco-styled sleeve? Nah ... until I remembered the band were from the Philadelphia area and enjoyed their initial hit working with the pair on the Philadelphia-based Crimson imprint.
While
I'm not sure what led to the 1974 Soul Survivors comeback, Full Moon
keyboard player Neil Larsen appears to have been a major player in
organizing the reunion. Technically it wasn't really a comeback since
vocalists Charles and Richard Ingui were the only original members to appear
on the album. Of course, since they were the original vocalists, they
were the two
"Soul
Survivors" track listing: 1.) What It Takes (Neil Larsen - Fred Beckmeier) - 3:10 rating: **** stars Blue-eyed soul has always been one of my weaknesses and judging by the propulsive opener What It Takes' as late as the mid-'70s these guys remained first-tier purveyors of the musical genre. Yeah, the busy horn arrangement was momentarily distracting, but the melody was instant ear-candy and powered by Charles and Richard Ingui's voices, these guys could have given Philly-International flagship acts like The O'Jays a run for their money. Awesome tune and should have been a massive hit when released as a single.
- 1974's 'What It Takes' b/w 'Virgin Girl' (TSOP catalog number ZS8 4760) 2.) Everything's Changing (Neil Larsen - Richard Ingui) - 3:52 rating: **** stars As a big Rascals fan I liked the ballad 'Everything's Changing.' Given how much the jazzy ballad sounded like Felix Cavaliere and company, I can only guess that The Soul Survivors were also big Rascals fans. Docked a star for the lack of originality. 3.) City of Brotherly Love (Richard Ingui - Charles Ingui) - 3:23 rating: ***** stars With a great "slow dance" melody, ear candy refrain and those "uplifting" lyrics that Gamble and Huff so admired, 'City of Brotherly Love' deserved to have been a classic Philly International performance. Tapped as the lead-off single, its hard to understand how the tune was overlooked. One of the album's highlights ...
- 1974's ' City of Brotherly Love' b/w 'The Best Time Was the Last Time' (TSOP catalog number ZS8 4756) # 75 US R&B charts. With Charles on lead vocals, YouTube has a performance of the song recorded at a June 2018 date at Sellersville Theater: Soul Survivors - City of Brotherly Love (youtube.com) 4.) Virgin Girl (Kenny Gamble) - 4:28 rating: ** stars The first disappointment, the heavily orchestrated ballad 'Virgin Girl' was pretty enough, but never generated much energy. The lyrics were also pretty corny. It's alwaysu reminded me of a subpar War performance. 5.) Beedo (Richard Ingui - Charles Ingui - Fred Beckmeier - John Dzubac) - 3:09 rating: *** stars Throttling up the funk tempo, 'Beedo' (apparently named after drummer John Dzubac), was clearly intended to get crowds out on the dancefloor. Very effective performance with a tasty guitar solo from Mike DiMartinis.
(side
2) 'Start All Over' strikes me as being the album's most commercial and conventional performance. Another tune spotlighting the Ingui's great voices and another distinct Rascals vibe. 2.) Over My Head (Richard Ingui - Charles Ingui - Fred Beckmeier) - 3:31 rating: ** stars Hum, 'Over My Head' found the band skating too close to Yacht rock/disco vibes for their own good. Throwaway product meant for Friday's at your local skating rink. I did like Beckmeier's busy bass line. 3.) Your Love (Richard Ingui - Neil Larsen) - 2:39 rating: *** stars Powered by Larsen's electric piano and the Inguis blended voices, 'Your Love' was a nice update of the Rascals' blue-eyed soul vibe. The track also featured Freddie Beckmeier's best guitar solo. 4.) Best Time Was the Last Time (Richard Ingui - Charles Ingui - Neil Larsen) - 2:56 rating: **** stars Perhaps my favorite performance, 'Best Time Was the Last Time' had a wonderful, radio-ready melody and those wonderful sibling vocals. Almost impossible to sit still through this one. How TSOP managed to overlook this one as a single was simply a marketing crime. Heaven in your eye ... 5.) Lover to Me (Richard Ingui - Charles Ingui - Neil Larsen) - 3:01 rating: *** stars Pretty, but ultimately forgettable top-40 ready ballad. Easy to see why it was tapped as the third and final 45.
- 1974's 'Lover To Me' b/w 'Your Love' (TSOP catalog number ZS8 4768)
6.) Soul to Soul (Kenny Gamble - Leon Huff) - 3:19 rating: *** stars The second Gamble-Huff composition merely served to highlight the pair's strengths were not in the composition field. A formulaic tune, this one sounded like it was a leftover from an O'Jays session. True the Inguis' did the best they could with the track, but it just lacked that certain "umph". Shame.
Grabbing on to the country's bicentennial madness, the group managed one more Ohio Players-styled funk single for Philadelphia International -
1976's 'Happy Birthday America (Part 1)' b/w 'Happy Birthday America (Part 2)' (Philadelphia International catalog number ZS8 3595)
After that single flopped they were dropped by TSOP and within a couple of years had called it quits. Drummer Forgione opened up an auto bidy shop. Charlie Ingui turned his attention to a landscaping business. Brother Ritchie paid his bills as a house painter Venturini went into the restaurant business.
In the late '80s the Inqui brothers started playing Philadelphia area shows as The Original Soul Survivors. In the early-'90s they signed a contract with Society Hill Records, releasing a couple of local CDs and started to tour the East Coast. Venturini died in 2001. Richie Ingui passed-on of heart failure in January 2017. Jeremiah died of COVID in December 2020.
Charles has a FaceBook presence at: Facebook
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guys
that mattered the most. Signed to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's
Philadelphia International TSOP subsidiary, Larsen was credited with
keyboards and co-wrote about half of the material. Co-produced by
Gamble and Huff, 1974's "Soul Survivors"
isn't quite a masterpiece, but it's certainly an overlooked release in the
Philly International catalog. That's actually quite a compliment give it was
released by a label literally overflowing with mid-'70s talent. All I
can say is that anyone taking the time to check this one out is going to
wonder how it got lost. Showcasing the Inguis brothers on lead vocals,
these guys were classic soul singers - certainly some of the most talented
blue-eyed soul singers I've come across. When
they blended their voices the results were mesmerizing. I can't listen
to the album without thinking about classic Felix Cavaliere and the
Rascals. The packaging may have been anonymous, but the majority of
these eleven tracks were worth hearing multiple times. True, 'Virgin
Girl' and 'Lover to Me' offered up a couple of needless, formulaic
ballads. Elsewhere 'Beedo' and 'Over My Head' offered up forgettable
pseudo-disco moves. The good news is that when they were given the
right kind of material, Rascal-influenced tracks like the opener 'What It
Takes', 'Everything's Changing' and the should've-been-a-hits 'City of
Brotherly Love' and 'Best Time Was the Last Time' were wonderful throwback
tunes.
