MFSB performed “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia).”
The 1974 recording was made by MFSB, a large pool of Philadelphia studio musicians assembled around Philadelphia International Records. Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff used the collective as a house band, and its musicians helped define the orchestral Philadelphia soul sound that fed directly into disco.
“TSOP” was written and produced by Gamble and Huff as the theme for the television program Soul Train. The single featured vocal passages by The Three Degrees, which is why some descriptions identify it as “MFSB featuring The Three Degrees.” The performing group, however, was MFSB.
The title stands for “The Sound of Philadelphia,” and the record became the first television theme to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the U.S. R&B chart, making the track a landmark for both Philadelphia soul and early disco.