The “Golden Hits Of The 50s”
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MCFADDEN & WHITEHEAD
“AIN’T NO STOPPIN’ US NOW”
(Gene “McFadden,” John “Whitehead,” Jerry Cohen)
Philadelphia International 3681
No. 13 July 21, 1979
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They met as kids in a North Philly ghetto. While in high school in the ’60s, Gene McFadden (b. 1948,
Philadel phia), John Whitehead (b. 1948, Philadelphia), Alan Beatty and possibly Lloyd Parkes–later a
member Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes–formed the Epsilons. Legend has it that one morn, while Gene
was standing on a street corner holding some Otis Redding records, Otis’s bandleader noticed and asked
him if he would like to meet the “Southern Soul King.” That evening, the Epsilons got to sing for
Redding, who asked the boys to join his Revue. Gene, John, and Alan remained in the entourage for a
year before tiring of the one-nighter grind.
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“We told Otis that we [were real tired and] wanted to go home,” Whitehead told Blues & Soul’s John
Abbey. “Otis said he wanted us to stay because he had a song he wanted us to record–but we were
adamant and we just said we were too tired so he would have to get somebody else. So he did! He
brought in Arthur Conley and they cut that song, ‘Sweet Soul Music.’ The worst thing was that we didn’t
end up going home, and we sang the backgrounds for Arthur.”
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Only weeks later, Otis was dead. Gene and John returned home. Al Beatty left the group. With their
new member, James Knight, and a new group name, Talk of the Town, McFadden and Whitehead
approached Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, then heads of the newly established Philadelphia Interna
tional label. After a few Talk of the Town singles flopped, John was relegated to the position of chief
mailboy. Gene was unemployed.
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One night in desperation, while sitting at a kitchen table in a Philly project, they wrote “Back Stabbers.”
“I told Gene to come to work with me ’cause we were gonna show that song to Huff,” John told Soul’s J.
Randy Taraborrelli. “So we were standing at the elevator door in front of Huff’s office. I knew he’d have
to go to the bathroom. When he did come out, he went to the soda machine, and I followed him all the
way, reading the lyrics.” By the time Whitehead got to the chorus, Huff was sold on the song’s potential.
The rest, as they say, is history. “Back Stabbers” became the O’Jays’ first R & B chart-topper and
Philadelphia International’s first gold single.
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McFadden and Whitehead went on to write and/or produce some of the biggest chart-movers, playing a
seminal role in the development of the “Philadelphia Sound.” Archie Bell, the Intruders, Harold Melvin
& The Blue Notes, Melba Moore, Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls–all recorded tunes by the duo.
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“I guess that after 22 gold records, 2 platinum albums, and 2 Grammy nominations, we simply felt we
wanted to do something for ourselves,” Whitehead told Abbey. Seeking to gain some of the public
acclaim that they had been dispensing to others, McFadden and Whitehead walked into the studios as
recording artists; ”Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” was their debut disk. Nary a thing stood in their way–“Ain’t
No Stoppin” scaled the pop charts and hit number one on the R & B list ings, eventually selling 2 million
copies. The McFadden & Whitehead album went gold.
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Unfortunately, only McFadden & Whitehead’s “I Heard It in a Love Song” (R&B: #23, 1980) came any
where near to being as popular, although ”I’ve Been Pushed Aside” (R&B: #73, 1980) and “One More
Time” (R&B: #58, 1982) were solid efforts. In 1984, the duo re-recorded the tune as ”Ain’t No Stoppin’
(Ain’t No Way)” for Sutra.
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