“The Intruders were the very foundation of “The Sound Of Philadelphia”. Formed in 1960, they originally consisted of Sam (aka”Little Sonny”) Brown, Eugene (aka”Bird”) Daughtry, Phillip (aka”Phil”) Terry and Robert( aka”Big Sonny”) Edwards. In 1969, Sam Brown was replaced as lead singer by Bobby Starr, only to rejoin the group in 1973. In 1965, The Intruders had already developed a vocal sound that was unique. Blending Philly’s street corner doo-wop tradition with a gospel flavor, the result of those two combinations had become known as “the Philadelphian sound” and that proved to be successful for the group. The Intruders were the foundation of what they called “The Sound Of Philadelphia”, that sound was spreading like the Chicago Brush fire. The Philly sound owes it all to THE INTRUDERS.The Intruders had a string of classic songs that hit the R&B charts but “Cowboys to Girls”(R&B #1, Pop #6) remains the only chart-topping single of their career. It was a 1968 Top 10 Pop and R&B smash, that was awarded an R.I.A.A. gold disc for one million sales in mid-May 1968. I’ll Always Love My Mama” was #6 on R&B and #36 on the Pop Chart. Songwriter Kenny Gamble said “his mother Ruby was the inspiration for “I’ll Always Love My Mama”, she died March 10, 2012, in Mount Airy, Pennsylvania, at age 96. Unfortunately, Sam (aka”Little Sonny”) Brown(Died April 21, 1995, ) and Eugene(aka “Bird) Daughtry (Died Dec 25, 1994) have passed on. The Legacy of the Intruders continues, in 1996 The Intruders were inducted into The Hall of Fame and a Star in their honor was placed on the Walk of Fame on Broad Street in Philadelphia.
Currently, they are scheduled for a 2017 SoulTrain cruise with Celebrity Cruise hope to see you on board.
