Afterword: Beyond the Bucket List and Appendix

“I Still Believe in Love”

This part of the story begins in November of 2016, the night of the Presidential election. I knew that the unexpected (by many) results were going to change the face of American politics, culture and life very badly for the next 4 years. I was despondent to say the least. I was determined that no matter how bad it was to become I would strive to keep love, hope and faith alive. So, in the next day or two I sat down with my guitar and wrote this song. I knew that if I was to do it right, I must try as a producer to find the best way to realize it. I recorded myself on acoustic guitar as I do with everything I write and mailed a request for a Performing Arts (PA) copyright. But then it was on to how to best record it. I first tried programming it with a student programming wiz after he had completed my class at Rowan University. That effort had its merits, and I was impressed with all that can be done “in the box” with all the digital tools now available to our industry.

However, I came to realize that the way I really wanted it to sound was more like all the great R&B songs I had recorded in the early days of my career at Sigma Sound Studios. And, of course, the best way that this song could end up like that was for it to be recorded with a Sound of Philly rhythm section in a real studio. Sadly, at three consecutive funerals for TSOP greats, Teddy Pendergrass, then Billy Paul and lastly Bunny Sigler, I saw and spoke with the core of the very group of musicians that were the pros who played on “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”, “Used to Be My Girl” and who knows how many other hits: Keith Benson, Jimmy Williams and Dennis Harris. I had asked them on all three occasions if they would be interested in playing for me on one of my songs. All three times they said, “Of course we would, Jim, just say when and where.”

So, after the third time I went to Jack Klotz and asked if over summer break I could use the studio at Temple where we teach recording classes. He said OK and I started calling people. First, I asked Joe Kraus if he would engineer for me as I hoped to play guitar with them while producing. Two hats were enough, and I had Joe record tracks for me on previous CDs. He was in and thrilled to hear with whom we would be working . Then I called Dennis, Keith and Jimmy with some dates. We had to work around Jimmy playing on the road with the O’Jays, but we found a date, set it and then I called T. Life and “Lambchop” Curry, both writers and producers extraordinaire in their own right. They were in. Now I had to work with Carla Benson (a singer who with Evette Benton and Barbara Ingram graced almost every TSOP hit ever made) to be sure that we played it in the best key for her to sing it. She and I met at my home studio and I gave her a demo to learn the melody and words after we determined that the original key worked best.

Then the day came, July 24, 2018, and we gathered at Temple and recorded the tracks for this song and “You Take My Breath Away”. I had produced tracks (and played guitar) with MFSB that I had written! My God I was in heaven. I took the tracks back to my home studio and proceeded to record Carla. She of course was awesome as she always is. Also, on the advice of “Lambchop”, I added Carla on tambourine. And she added some background tracks, but I said I had plans to add as many voices as possible including kids. She immediately helped me by providing about a dozen of her vocal students who came on another day and sang their hearts out. I began recording all my relatives, friends, musicians and singers who live near me as well. The final touches were adding Ron Kerber on sax on both songs. He was amazing as always as you can hear. Then “Lambchop” came over and added synth horns to this song and synth strings to the ballad. Listen to the horn parts that he added. He did them in one pass. I was astonished. His piano work on both songs is remarkable as well. I added my friend Liz Bressi-Stoppe on wind-chimes to the ballad and I was finished recording. So, now I had a record and I started to mix it at home where I am quite capable of finishing any record, however, that was not to be the end of the story. Here are some shots from the rhythm date with MFSB.

L to R: Joe Kraus, Bill Dorman, behind T. Life (guitar), Keith (Lead Foot) Benson the drummer who can be seen better at the drums in the above shot, behind Dennis Harris (guitar), the late great Jimmy Williams, me, and keyboard wizard “Lambchop” Curry.

In the fall of 2018, my wife Pam and my daughter-in-law Vickie each were celebrating a birthday with a zero on the end so we four went to London to celebrate. While there I arranged for a tour of Abbey Road Studios as I was in the process of producing an album and was using that as an excuse so my son, a huge fan of the Beatles and Pink Floyd etc. like myself, and our wives would get to see the fabled place. So, we did and as we were getting the tour, I saw the three new rooms that they had added since I last was there back in the 1990’s. Well, the new rooms were very interesting to me, one in particular because it was small and reminded me of my own room at home except of course it had (albeit small) a Neve console and after all it was still an Abbey Road studio that recently had been used by Niles Rodgers to record his latest CD. I knew I could mix the new songs easily in that room as I knew its capacity and my track requirements.

Our trip to London was fantastic and on it my wife decided it was time for a career change that she had been thinking about. After we returned, I investigated what it would cost to use that room (The Gatehouse Studio) for a day and was pleasantly surprised. Pam had announced the decision to her company and her time there was winding down, as we were driving into the city together as we often did, she said. “Let’s do it, it’s our one and only life. Let’s go back to London and mix your songs at Abbey Road.” I was shocked and thrilled so I looked at when I could go that did not conflict with my teaching schedule and it was the first weeks of January before classes began. I wrote the studio, booked a Friday (January 11, 2019) and then flights over on that Wednesday and back the following Monday and returned to begin class the following Tuesday. The idea that I would ever work as a producer, be recorded and mix in Abbey Road was not even on my bucket list. And in a matter of 5 months, it had become a reality. Not a dream. A reality. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did in making it. Here are shots at Abbey Road as we mixed. The one with me pointing will be on the cover of my next CD it was taken by my cousin Molly Gallagher.

That is Paul Prithard and I mixing above and him showing me the big room on a break below.

Here I am on the left in the control room at Temple actually playing with MFSB at Temple on one of the 2 songs:
“You Take My Breath Away”

When I wrote this song many years ago, I played it on my acoustic guitar for my son Rustin and he said, “Dad, you must produce that one as a country song!” So, I did to show my versatility as a producer and that version appeared on my second CD available on this website in the album “The Light and the Dark”. It is a love song that I have played many times in many places for Pam but in the back of my mind I always thought, “I wonder what this song would sound like if it was produced as an R&B song?”

When I had the opportunity to record MFSB I found out. I played along with them in the studio as I produced the track but was unhappy with my performance so when I took the track to Abbey Road studios to mix it, I first replaced that guitar with a “Tele” provided by the studio recorded through a stereo Chorus effect box which I brought with me. One side went directly into the Neve console and the other side (at my suggestion) went out to an amp and had a mic on it. I was so concerned about my playing that I didn’t even look at which mic was used until after I had finished, but the mic had been removed by an assistant already. So, I asked Paul Prithard the engineer I was working with there, “Hey, by the way, what mic did you use?” He told me but I just looked at him with wide eyes and he paused and then added nonchalantly, “Yea, it was one used to record the Beatles.” That was just another magic moment for me that day. You can hear that guitar pretty well in the intro and beginning of the song. As I played it Pam recorded it happening on her phone so I could believe it myself later…

These songs are here on this website and will be on my next CD which I will finish and release in the late spring or early summer of 2023…

The beat is still going on…

Jim Gallagher
Winter 2021

Sadly in June of 2022 the love of my life Pam Mammarella passed away. She is the reason I have accomplished as much as I have in the last 34 years that I knew her, loved her, was married to her and counted on her for an honest answer and her undying support. I go on with out her to continue to honor her and her memory.
5/1/23

“I Still Believe (in Love)”
Performed by
Carla Benson and MFSB
featuring Ron Kerber
and L.O.L. (Lots of Liberals)

CREDITS
Written and Produced by James Gallagher
Track Recorded in Temple University’s Studio “G”
by Joe Kraus
Vocals, Sax and Synths Recorded in The Vinyl Room Moorestown, NJ
by Jim Gallagher
Mixed by Jim Gallagher and Paul Prithard in the
Gatehouse Studio at Abbey Road Studios London, England 1/11/2019

Lead Vocals: Carla Benson

MFSB:
Drums: Keith Benson
Bass: Jimmy Williams
Guitar: Dennis Harris
Guitar: T. Life
Piano and All Synths: Eugene “Lambchop” Curry
Sax: Ron Kerber
Tambourine: Carla Benson

Guitar: Jim Gallagher

Background Vocals:
Carla Benson, Pam Mammarella, Susan Virginia Mammarella, Mary Mammarella, Frances Mammarella, Jessica Mammarella, Mike Cooper, Chris Pietrefitta, Danielle Campbell, Colleen Jacoby, Francesco Sgrazzutti, Meagan Debrito, Ghazal Lajevardi, Tom Spokas, Kate Shapero, Carolina Maugeri, Carl Johns, Emily Farrell, Neil Arot, Bob Wagner, April Iorio and Dave Fecca (of April Mae and the June Bugs), Jessica Carroll, Dennis DiBlasio, Anne DiBlasio, Ryan Vander Wielon, James Becker, Elizabeth Hahn, Jeff Otto (of Boris Garcia), Chuck McCrory and Jim Gallagher.

Children’s background Vocals:
Paloma Sappho Mammarella, Christian Mammarella-Pietrefitta, Laci Jacoby, Leila Jacoby, Cameron Campbell, Christopher Campbell, Aki Mir, Pearl Stokas, Dario Lajevardi Sgrazzutti, Amias Debrito Straub, Gabrielle Loren Watlington, Cameren Jade Morris, Jasmine Cherie Priestly, George Preston Watlington III, Cameron Joel Priestly, Bettyann Howard, Arthur Howard, Leah Howard, Penny Howard.

Thanks to Jack Klotz Jr., Joe Kraus, Pam Mammarella, Jojo Arvanitis and all the friends and families who contributed their time and voices to this song.

This song is dedicated to the late great Bassist extraordinaire and friend Jimmy Williams.

The greatest proportion of any money generated by the sale of this recording will be donated to Liberal causes.

“You Take My Breath Away”
Performed by
Carla Benson and MFSB
featuring Ron Kerber

CREDITS
Written and Produced by James Gallagher
Track Recorded in Temple University’s Studio “G”
by Joe Kraus
Vocals, Sax and Synths Recorded in The Vinyl Room Moorestown, NJ
by Jim Gallagher
Mixed by Paul Prithard and Jim Gallagher in the
Gatehouse Studio at Abbey Road Studios London, England 1/11/2019

Lead and Background Vocals: Carla Benson

MFSB:
Drums: Keith Benson
Bass: Jimmy Williams
Guitar: Dennis Harris
Guitar: T. Life
Piano and All Synths: Eugene “Lambchop” Curry
Sax: Ron Kerber

Wind Chimes: Elizabeth Bressi-Stoppe
Guitar: Jim Gallagher (Recorded in the
Gatehouse Studio at Abbey Road Studios by Paul Prithard)

SIGMA CLIENTS

PIR Production Staff

Gamble / Huff
Sherman Marshall / Phil Pugh
Douglas (City) Brown
Bloom/Terry Price
Jack Faith
Dexter Wansel
Gene McFadden / John Whitehead
Phil Terry
Dee Dee Sharpe Gamble
Dennis Williams / O’Jays
Joe Jefferson/C.B. Simmons/Bruce Hawes
Ted Wortham
Bruce Hawes
The Soul Survivors
Bunny Sigler

PIR Artists

O’Jays
Lou Rawls
Jerry Butler
Teddy Pendergrass
Archie Bell & the Drells
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Dexter Wansel
Billy Paul
McFadden & Whitehead
Jean Carn
Dee Dee Sharpe Gamble
People’s Choice
MFSB
Bobby Rush
The Intruders
The Soul Survivors
Bunny Sigler
Patti La Belle
The Jacksons
City Limits
Don Covay
Force of Nature
The Intruders
Silk
Thad Jones / Mel Lewis
Monk Montgomery
Futures
The Stylistics
Jones Girls

(Produced by these)
ARTISTS PRODUCERS

The Spinners Thom Bell
New York City
The Stylistics
Johnny Mathis
Dionne Warwick
O’Jays
Elton John

Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder
Jermaine Jackson

Michael Henderson Michael Henderson

Bunny Sigler Bunny Sigler
Instant Funk
Gladys Knight & the Pips
The Pips

John Davis / Monster Orchestra John Davis / Sam Weiss
William DeVaughn

The Trammps Baker / Harris / Young
First Choice Al Felder
Love Committee Ron Tyson
Double Exposure Bruce Gray
The Dells
Blue Magic

Melba Moore McFadden / Whitehead
McFadden / Whitehead
The Futures
Teddy Pendergrass

Delphonics Delphonics

Loleatta Holloway Bobby Eli
Lola Falana
Eli’s Second Coming
Blue Magic
Ecstasy, Passion & Pain
Al Waldman

Rena Sinakin Rena Sinakin

David Peoples Eddie Levert / Dennis Williams

Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes Harold Melvin
Sharon Paige

Salsoul Orchestra Vince Montana Jr.
Charo
Montana
Fat Larry’s Band

Manhattans Bobby Martin
Hermi Hanlin

Arthur Prysock Evan Solot / Hy Weiss
The Earls

Gentle Persuasions Jerry Ross

Donny Hathaway Donny Hathaway / Dexter Wansel

Barbara Mason Weldon McDougal III
Universal Love
Rhonda Berg

Mike Douglas Richie Rome
Al Waldman

The Richie Family Jacques Morali & Henri Belolo

Ecstasy, Passion & Pain Bobby Martin
David Clayton Thomas

Webster Lewis Webster Lewis

Evelyn “Champagne” King T. Life

Eddie Holman Ronnie Baker

Stanley Turrentine Stanley Turrentine

POST SIGMA CLIENTS
(Produced by these)
ARTISTS PRODUCERS

Los Angeles

Michael Sembello* Phil Ramone, Michael Sembello, Dick Rudolph
MYX
Miyuki Nakajima Stevie Wonder
Marilyn Scott (The Yellowjackets) Michael Sembello, Dick Rudolph
George Benson Russ Titelman, Michael Sembello
Chaka Kahn Michael Sembello, Dick Rudolph
Eddie Murphy Aquil Fudge, Stevie Wonder
Michael Henderson Michael Henderson
New Edition Michael Sembello, Danny Sembello

New York City

Reba Jackson & Robin Zanter Reggie Lucas
E. U. (Doin’ Da Butt!) Markus Miller, Spike Lee
Rory Block Rory Block

Philadelphia at PIR
Patti La Belle* (featured Kool Moe D) Bunny Sigler
Eugene “Lambchop” Curry
Michael Stokes
“Bud” Ellison
Phyllyss Hyman Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff
Phyllyss Hyman
Universe
Jean Carn Dexter Wansel
The Delphonics The Delphonics
Thom Bell
Little Richard Leon Huff
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes Harold Melvin
TKO (Three Kings and a Cypher) TKO
Ben Arnold Ben Arnold
The Legends of Jazz Orchestra Leon Mitchell
Joe Sutler’s Big Band

*Grammy winning projects

JOB LIST
Things I have actually been paid to do in my life
(Some things very briefly or only once and some things for very many years):

Prep cook (Atlantic City, NJ)
Prep cook (Ocean City, NJ)
Retail clerk in a department store (Wilkes-Barre PA)
Runner (i.e., drove cars everywhere) for Hertz Corporation (Philadelphia, PA)
Substitute Middle School Teacher (Camden, NJ)
Parking lot attendant (Philadelphia, PA)
Assistant manager of a health food warehouse (Philadelphia and Folcroft, PA)
Assistant Engineer 919 Sound (Philadelphia, PA)
Assistant Engineer Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, PA)
First Engineer Sigma Sound Studios (Philadelphia, PA)
Adjunct College Professor Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts
(Now called University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA)
Freelance Audio Engineer (L.A., New York City, Hoboken NJ and Philadelphia, PA)
Adjunct College Professor Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)
Archeologist (briefly as a student) at Temple University (Philadelphia, PA)
Audio Editor (on an Oscar winning film while at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA)
Audio consultant (once on a case involving FBI surveillance tapes, also on studio design and acoustics for various clients) (Philadelphia, PA)
Freelance Film Director and Producer (three short documentary films Philadelphia, PA)
Studio Manager and Chief Engineer for Gamble and Huff’s 309 Studios (Philadelphia, PA)
Adjunct College Professor University of the Arts (again) (Philadelphia, PA)
Part-time then Full-time Instructor at the Art Institute of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
Record Producer (Philadelphia, PA)
Songwriter (Philadelphia, PA)
Department Director of various departments at the Art Institute of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
Adjunct College Professor Temple University (again) (Philadelphia, PA)
Adjunct College Professor Rowan University (Glassboro, NJ)

Glossary of terms:
PIR: Philadelphia International Records
AIPH: The Art Institute of Philadelphia
Producing: This is the process of deciding all aspects of creating the final recorded product. This includes everything from picking (and/or writing) the songs, picking the studio and engineers, deciding when the best performance happens
Engineering: This is the process of recording and manipulating the music using microphones, consoles and audio processing to create the best possible sounding product.
Console or mixer: This is the device through which all the sound passes and is processed as it travels from microphones to tape recorders and/or digital recorders.
Mics or micing: This is the process of placing microphones ideally to capture the sounds as best one can.
Monitors: This is the term used to refer to the speakers utilized in the control room of the studio.
EQ: This is the process of altering the tonal nature of a sound across the audible spectrum from lowest to highest sounds that we can hear (typically 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz)
NOTE: Hz = Hertz = cycles/second (Heinrich Hertz was a famous German physicist)
Doubling: This is the process of recording a voice or instrument twice (typically of the exact same performance) on separate tracks creating a full and vibrant effect when carefully mixed (or blended) together, or even put to varying degrees of left and right in a stereo mix.
NOTE: The newer “surround sound” speaker systems: 4.0 (the original QUAD system), 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, 7.2, etc., (# of speakers (dot) # of sub-woofers) offer 360 degrees of sound placement (i.e. a full circle of sound around the listener, similar to real life).
Echo: This is an effect typically heard as a distinct repeat (i.e. an echo) of a sound when the sound hits a hard surface and reflects back to the listener (think of a large canyon), which can be simulated in a studio by the construction of a physical “echo chamber” or can be artificially created in the studio using various electrical or software designed devices (i.e. analog tape echo, digital echo units, software echo “plugins”, etc.) and that echo signal (with a single repeat or multiple repeats) can be added (or blended) into the mix as a subtle or obvious effect. (See Mixing below.)
NOTE: An “Anechoic Chamber” has special ceiling, floor and wall treatment that prevents any sound from being reflected back to the listener. (And it “feels” very strange to actually be in one since there are no sound reflections coming back to your ears.)
Reverb: This is an effect typically heard as multiple reflections of a sound when the sound hits multiple hard surfaces and reflects back to the listener at varying times and amplitudes (think of a large church interior space), which can be simulated in a studio by the construction of a physical “reverb chamber” or artificially created in the studio using various electrical or software designed devices (i.e. large (4’ x 8’) steel plate analog reverb units, digital reverb units, software reverb “plugins”, etc.) and that reverb signal, with a short or long “tail” (i.e. the amount of time before the reverb effect fades away) can be added (or blended) into the mix as a subtle or obvious effect. (See Mixing below.)
NOTE: Often a device that can produce various echoes can usually produce various reverbs. But a mix might require both (or many) of these various effects and therefore a studio will typically have multiple units (physical, electrical and/or software devices) to produce multiple reverb effects and/or multiple echo effects.
“Cutting” or tracking: This is the process of the basic recording of a rhythm section consisting usually of (acoustic and/or electric) drums, (acoustic / electric) bass, one or more (acoustic / electric) guitars, one or more (acoustic / electric) keyboards: piano, organ, synthesizer, one or more percussionists, and any other musical instrument that the artist / producer wants recorded as part of the basic rhythm section … like an electric vibraphone, etc.
Overdubbing: This is the process when you capture (i.e. record) other aspects of the record after “cutting” the basic track. For example: lead and background vocals, string and horn arrangements and any/all other musical instruments and sound effects.
Mixing: This is the process of combining all the recorded music while processing it with special effects like reverb, echo and various tonal (EQ) and dynamic processing to create a final (hopefully sellable) version of the music.
Mastering: This is the process of assembling and processing the various different songs into a final version of an album for distribution and sale.

Author’s Biography

James P. Gallagher served as Academic Director at the Art Institute of Philadelphia (AIPH) from September 1995 to the November 2012. He was responsible for the management and implementation of the faculty and curriculum of the School of Media Arts, which included the Interactive Media Design, Digital Media Production, Visual Effects & Motion Graphics, Music Video Business, Music Business, Photography, Video Production, Multimedia and Web Site Administration departments.

As an instructor at AIPH he received the annual “Honored Faculty Award” in June 1994 and was given the first ever “Excellence in Teaching Award” in June 1992. He also has been an instructor at The University of the Arts. He recently retired from both Temple University and Rowan University.

Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree, Cum Laude in 1988 from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a Radio/TV/Film major with his concentration in Video/Film Directing and Production. His minor was in Anthropology with advanced study in Archaeology and Physical Anthropology. He graduated from the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) program with distinction at the University of Pennsylvania in May of 2004. His focus in the MLA degree was paleoanthropology. This degree was accomplished while working full time as Academic Director.
In his professional life outside the academic arena, Jim was, from May 1988 to May 1991, the Studio Manager and Chief Engineer responsible for updating, supervising and operating Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International Records’ Studio 309. From 1972 to 1982 he worked at Sigma Sound Studios and worked with some of the greatest artists, producers and musicians in the world while recording literally hundreds of Gold and Platinum records. As a freelance engineer in the decade that followed Sigma, Jim worked in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia continuing to create more Gold, Platinum and Grammy Award nominated and winning records. In 1983, he received a Grammy nomination for “Best Engineered Record (Non-Classical)”. He also was and sometimes still is (in a part-time context), a free-lance audio engineer, video producer/director, and record producer.
Jim was elected to the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Branch of the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences and has served as Chairman of the MusicCares® Committee. Over the many years he served on the Board, he chaired the Membership Committee and was a member of the Special Projects Committee, the Education Committee and the Folk Music Committee. Jim was also elected Trustee to the Local 3397 Faculty Federation Teacher’s Union from the fall 1993 through the fall 1995.
Jim is a published poet and has written and produced three CDs of original music in various studios in the Philly area. The third one was made entirely in his home studio in Moorestown, New Jersey. Much of his work can be experienced on his website: www.trustinlove.com .