When one thinks of the lush instrumentals and funk gestures that characterized the vibrant moment in our native city’s history that came to be known as Philadelphia Soul, two names come to mind. There’s Gamble. There’s Huff. Their Philadelphia International Records, with acts like The O’Jays, Billy Paul, Patti LaBelle, Instant Funk, and more, gave the city its signature sound.
But another, Walter “Bunny” Sigler, who died on October 6, helped bridge the liveliness of 1960s R&B with the almost-excess of some of the Seventies tunes. Sigler, a relatively unsung hero of the moment, helped round out the Gamble & Huff sound as a songwriter, background singer, and producer.
Sigler was born in Philadelphia on March 27, 1941, earning the childhood nickname “Bunny” due to his birthday’s proximity to Easter. His family attended Emmanuel Institutional Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, where he began to sing, taking part in services that expanded his musical influences from what he described as un-funky singing in Sunday school. “Now THAT was funky,” Mr. Sigler wrote of the Emmanuel services. “I really dug the way people got down in church.”
He took that influence to his recorded work. His first big success, a cut that blended the Shirley and Lee hits “Let the Good Times Roll” and “Feel So Good,” is a seamless transition between the two and an exultant, clean vocal that charted on the national pop and R&B charts in 1967. Soon after, in his early twenties, he joined Gamble and Huff at the nascent Philadelphia International Records, where, his website says, he was a notable presence, “singing, strumming guitar and practicing his newly acquired martial arts skills with wall punches and kicks.” As a way to get him to put his hands and body to better work, Gamble suggested Mr. Sigler start writing music. A fruitful partnership followed, with Sigler notably co-producing The O’Jays’ hit 1972 album Back Stabbers, writing “Love, Need, and Want You” for Patti LaBelle, discovering Instant Funk, and singing background vocals on songs like Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’s hit, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.”
That modular approach—songwriter, producer, singer, talent scout—was the mark of a rich musical life that influenced the city he helped give its signature sound. Remarkable about Sigler is that his influence and contribution followed years after Philadelphia International’s influence had waned: He has a songwriting credit for “The Ruler’s Back,” the first track on Jay Z’s seminal 2001 album, The Blueprint and he appeared on The Roots’ 2006 album Game Theory with a vocal on “Long Time.” His music was also sampled by acts like Outkast, TLC, and Justin Timberlake, and more.
“Brother Bunny. Philadelphia quiet storm of class, style & hits. A pillar of the #SoundOfPhiladelphia community,” Questlove wrote on Instagram. “He wrote classics that stood the test of time.”
Over on the official MusiQology Spotify channel, we put together a playlist tribute to this dearly departed icon of the Philadelphia Sound. His influence will live on, like his songs, forever.
spotify:user:musiqology:playlist:3HcimV84uHsrqMQnLKMkPg
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