By skip (12.2.196.17) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 01:38 pm:

What ever happend with the Linda Creed movie I heard it was gonna be produce by her husband and that Baby Face was going to play Thom Bell. I would like to know thank you. Skip

By Caleb (209.245.118.55) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 06:15 pm:

Bobby Eli,do you have any info on this topic?

By Eli (141.151.78.96) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 06:16 pm:

In the original conceptual plan,
Mickey Rourke was to play "Eppie" and Beverly D'angelo was to play Linda.
I havent heard much about it lately though.

Her story needs to be told as she was a wonderful woman with a heart of gold and a pen of platinum and her battle with cancer is another chapter unto itself.

I do hope that he gets a film companys's approval for a budget as the world needs to see her story on film.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 06:21 pm:

Bobby:
Thom Bell & Linda Creed are to R&B/soul music what Gerry Goffin & Carole King were to pop except Thom & Linda weren't married.

How did Thom & Linda come up with the songs they wrote? Did Thom write the music first or did Linda come up with the ideas before the music. Also, what was Kenny Gamble's contribution to the Stylistics' "Break Up To Make Up" (was it lyrics or idea?).

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By DF (208.27.111.121) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 07:00 pm:

I really hope someone does the Linda Creed Story. What a songwriter. Sandra Bullock as Linda???? Just a thought. I wonder who plays Thom Bell. Derek Luke or Morris Chesnut????

I've been waiting for this movie for years. Peace.

By Caleb (64.157.77.162) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 07:27 pm:

Who is Eppie,is that Thom?

By Eli (141.151.78.96) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 07:44 pm:

Caleb..Eppie is Lindas husband Steve Epstein affectionately called Eppie by everyone.

DF.. Sandra Bullock would be cool. If Natalie Wod were alive she would be the perfect Linda.
Thom Bell..let me see..Cuba Gooding JR. has the voice and the personality to pull it off plus he has a musical background and the other would be Jamie Foxx as he has the charm and wit and musical skils.
Also Norah Jones would make a great Linda also.

Kev..
The usual m.o. was that Thom would have a musical concept first and then he would run it by Linda and see how it hits her for a title and lyric ideas.
Linda kept a notebook full of titles and she would grab from one or come up with a brand new one.
She was very quick and prolific to a tee.
Vinnie Barrett and I worked in the same manner as well.

I believe that Gamble came up with the concept for the song.

By dvdmike (12.84.41.31) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 08:06 pm:

Didn't she produce Johnny Gill's first album for Cotillion back in '83? Johnny was 16 or 17 at the time.

By Caleb (64.157.66.244) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 08:41 pm:

Great posts Bobby,thank you!

By Scratcher (65.132.78.184) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 10:26 pm:

Phil Hurtt once said he wrote the lyrics of "I'll Be Around" to a track that Thom Bell gave him. Hal David and Burt Bacharach worked in the same fashion, the lyrics were fitted to an already done melody. Sherman Marshall worked with Bell in this fashion too.

Al Boyd wrote the lyrics to "Shakey Ground" from a track that Jeffrey Bowen and Eddie Hazel already had. He was called in after other lyricists failed to impress Bowen.

How did Bell collaborate with William Hart? Hart said the inspiration for "La, La Means I Love You" was his child babbling. Leading you to believe that he wrote the lyrics and some of the melody first.

By Eli (141.151.78.96) on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 12:00 am:

Thom was playing the chords to I'll be around when Phil happened to come by his writing room and sit down and Thom asked him if he could do something with it.
We never did tracks for unwritten or unfinished songs as it was not the way we operated .
All the producers had their songs completely written before we entered the studio as we did not have the luxury of doing it any other way.

La la was written in the same manner but inspired by William's son who is now a radio dj
known as DJ Romance on 103.9 Philly's premier hip hop station.

By John Barry Sheffield (195.92.168.169) on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 02:52 am:

Thursday Breakfast England

Bobby: it is a TRUE Gift to be able to read Your Comments on the site, it gives me such excitement, I could read and listen all day - How Fortunate we all are that YOU are so willing to share your memories and thought with all of us.

THOM BELL & LINDA CREED, what can anyone say, it would not be sufficient, plenty of tears have been shed listening to their GEMS! - Thanks!

John

By Eli (141.151.78.96) on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 03:27 am:

Hi John,
Thanks for the accolades.

It gives me great joy to know that I was associated with all of Thom and Lindas recordings and reflecting back puts me in such a bucolic state that is almost unimaginable.
Just being in the studio listening to those marvelous playbacks gave me a rush beyond description and served as a template for my very own musical experience.

By Scratcher (65.132.76.236) on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 08:52 am:

Bobby didn't mean to imply that Hurtt wrote the lyrics to a completed master or demo track. But, that after his initial introduction to the song by Bell, a tape with the chords was dubbed and given to Hurtt to work on at home or when Bell wasn't around.

The long defunct Songwriters Magazine did the most extensive interview of Linda Creed I've ever seen. In the interview she stated that Thom Bell didn't write lyrics at all, or hardly ever, and that she wrote lyrics to tunes Bell created and taped for her to work on.

I asked about William Hart because I believe that collaboration was totally different than his work with Creed in that Hart came up with the lyrics and scratch melodies that Bell polished into his own style, similar to what Norman Whitfield did to many of Barrett Strong's songs.

By DF (208.27.111.121) on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 11:32 am:

Eli,

Tell me something. I saw a picture with Linda and one of the bandmembers of WAR. Did she just go on the road to chill with them, or did that band use her for coming up with songs "quick and prolific". I never heard of a band bringing a songwriter on the road with them (just for thinking up tunes on the spot, on tour). If that's true, now I KNOW I want to see this movie. Peace.

By Eli (151.197.33.192) on Thursday, May 01, 2003 - 11:38 pm:

Scratcher..Thats about how it happened.

DF Linda and Eppie had a long relationship with War especially Lonnie Jordan who she worked on the first Johnny Gill album with.

By givethedrummersome (152.163.188.68) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 12:17 am:

Bobby
All I can say is "Track of the cat", remember that one with Dionne Warwick? Side one was all Linda Creed and Thom Bell. I was one of the lucky ones to have a promotion copy of the album that you all did back in 1975. This album is pure music, you guys poored your hearts out making this sound, the Philly groove. Do you have any thing in your plans for music like this?
Honestly, I want to help promote what I know the music business needs. Please email or call me.

If your in contact with Carl or Allan Slutsky they can give you my contact numbers.

I pulled this album out for practice on my piano when I was looking for a good groove or feel and I knew that Carl Helm was one of the tenor singers in the background along with the sweethearthearts of Philly I did not know that Babbit was the bass player on this album.
This album is absolutley great music!!! There's gotta to be more.

I want to help, please give me a call or mail.

Lonnie

By Edgar (200.46.132.137) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 10:08 am:

In Eloise Laws' album "The Key" (1999), there are three songs with Linda Creed's lyrics: "Baby You Lied" (music by Gerold Goldstein), "Love Comes Easy" (co-written by Thom Bell) and "Love Is Feeling" (music by Lonnie Jordan).

By DF (208.27.111.121) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 10:51 am:

Oh, yeah, Linda's singing on the Spinners' Live album. Live at The Latin Casino in Cherry Hill. I believe she singe "Then Came You".

I like to know why Linda doesn't get the accolades she truly deserves, such as a movie story and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame????

By Sly fan (64.169.104.84) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 04:39 pm:

"Love Comes Easy" is such a beautiful song and "Make It Last"...still blow me away to this day.. I love all the other versions but The Stylistics really make those songs shine..

I hope that a book or a movie can cover the life of two great people: Linda Creed and Thom Bell..

Its long overdue..

By Eli (141.151.16.2) on Friday, May 02, 2003 - 05:35 pm:

I forgot to mention that Linda and Eppie were married on the stage of the Latin Casino during that Spinners engagement with the Spinners as "best men"

By Nish (170.224.224.38) on Saturday, May 03, 2003 - 12:23 pm:

Linda Creed is one of the best writers, and I am always surprised that she is not given as much acclaim as some of her contemporaries like Carole King. She's one of the people that must be mentioned when talking about the Philly sound.

By Caleb (64.157.75.40) on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 09:18 pm:

Bobby,is there anyplace,book or website,where more can be read about Linda Creed-her background/youth.I find it amazing that when those first Stylistic records were written and recorded she was only like 20 or 21.She must of been quite a person.Also,do you have any pictures of her you can post.Thank you,Caleb

By Weldon A. Mc Dougal III (68.80.162.3) on Wednesday, May 07, 2003 - 10:45 pm:

Linda Creed was my dearest friend, I introduced her to Eppie,thay got married soon after that, I do have photos of Linda,but I'm doing a new book and I will tell her wonderful story with photos, I talked to Eppie about a year ago, he told me the movie was still on, he was talking to Babyface
WELDON

By Carl Dixon London (62.31.40.155) on Thursday, May 08, 2003 - 07:02 am:

Weldon, that's good news! Linda Creed and Thom Bell together - dynamite! If I get chance to meet you Weldon, don't forget I have an appointment for you to autograph my 'Golden Years' book!

By Eli (141.151.84.28) on Thursday, May 08, 2003 - 09:37 am:

Caleb,

I do have some pics that I will post as soon as I can.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, May 08, 2003 - 11:00 am:

Weldon & Eli:
Looking forward to the photos of Linda (Bobby - don't rush, ok?) and please wish Eppie the best in getting Linda's life story to film.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Caleb (171.75.81.122) on Monday, July 21, 2003 - 11:39 pm:

Bobby,wanted to see at this time if some pictures could be posted of Linda Creed.Thank you,Caleb