Soul singer Billy Paul passed away Sunday morning at his home in Blackwood, New Jersey. His manager Beverly Gay said the Philly singer, famously known for his hit “Me & Mrs. Jones” was recently diagnosed with cancer and being treated at Temple University Hospital.
Paul got his start at age 11, when he appeared on the local radio station WPEN. Early in his career he sang with many artists including Nina Simone, Charlie Parker, and Roberta Flack before releasing his debut album “Feelin’ Good at the Cadillac Club” in 1968 with Gamble Records. Gamble and Huff, the writer/producer team behind Paul’s biggest hit “Me & Mrs. Jones” had this to say.
“We are very saddened to learn of the sudden death of our good friend and Philadelphia International Records recording artist Billy Paul. From the time we saw Billy performing live, and then signing him to our PIR/TSOP label, we immediately realized that we had discovered and launched one the most unique voices in the music industry. Billy’s voice combined both Jazz, R&B and Soul vocals, making him one the great artists to come out of Philly and to be celebrated worldwide. Our proudest moment with Billy was the recording of the salacious smash ‘Me and Mrs. Jones.’ In our view, it is one of the greatest love songs ever recorded. Billy was one of the first artists to help launch the PIR/TSOP brand, and he will forever have a special place in music history.”
Rest in peace.
