Dexter Wansel, a forefather of alternative R&B and the gifted songwriter\/producer of hits such as Patti LaBelle\u2019s \u201cIf Only You Knew,\u201d died Sunday in Philadelphia of undisclosed causes. He was 75.<\/p>\n
A Philadelphia native born Aug. 22, 1950, keyboardist Wansel was an errand boy for the local Uptown Theater while growing up. Following a stint in the Army, he began working at the city\u2019s famed Sigma Sound Studios, where he gained the attention of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the Grammy-winning co-founders of pioneering soul label Philadelphia International Records. As a recording artist for the label \u2014 beginning with his influential 1976 debut album Life on Mars in addition to wearing multiple hats in-house as a writer, arranger, composer, conductor, producer and A&R director into the \u201880s \u2014 Wansel earned a reputation as one of the vital craftsmen in developing the inimitable \u201cSound of Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In a joint statement sent to Billboard, Gamble & Huff commented, \u201cDexter Wansel brought a new age sound to our record label in the 1970s and \u201880s, arranging and producing hits for many of our artists such as The Jacksons, The Jones Girls, Jean Carne and MFSB Orchestra, and including hits for himself. Dexter\u2019s\u00a0synthesizer and symphonic keyboard sounds were iconic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Encompassing vibrant fusions of R&B, funk, jazz and futurist\/electronic grooves coupled with lavish orchestrations, those sounds were the hallmark of Life on Mars and the three additional albums that Wansel released via Philadelphia International. The projects include 1977\u2019s What the World Is Coming To, 1978\u2019s Voyager and 1979\u2019s Time Is Slipping Away.<\/p>\n
Wansel stayed just as busy behind the scenes at the label during the late \u201870s and into the \u201880s. He teamed with in-house lyricist Cynthia Biggs for a fruitful run that reaped songs such as LaBelle\u2019s No. 1 R&B single \u201cIf Only You Knew,\u201d The Jones Girls\u2019 \u201cNights Over Egypt,\u201d The Stylistics\u2019 \u201cHurry Up This Way Again,\u201d Grover Washington Jr.\u2019s \u201cThe Best Is Yet to Come\u201d featuring Patti LaBelle and Phyllis Hyman\u2019s \u201cLiving All Alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wansel was also a producer on Lou Rawls\u2019 1977 album Unmistakably Lou, for which the singer won a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance. Wansel\u2019s work has also been sampled by various hip-hop artists, including Kendrick Lamar, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Kim, Drake and J. Cole. Over these later years, Wansel released other solo projects, among them: Captured (1986), Digital Groove World (2004) and The Story of the Flight Crew to Mars (2021).<\/p>\n
Added Gamble & Huff, \u201cDexter\u2019s prolific songwriting with his long-time writing partner Cynthia Biggs \u00a0\u2013 who worked with Teddy Pendergrass and others \u2014 made them one of the most\u00a0sought-after writing teams\u00a0in our publishing company. \u00a0Most\u00a0importantly, Dexter was our dear friend, proteg\u00e9 and great contributor to the Sound of Philadelphia. We send our sincere condolences to his wife Judy and family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wansel is survived by his Grammy-nominated songwriter\/producer son Andrew \u201cPop\u201d Wansel of Pop & Oak. The younger Wansel\u2019s credits include projects by Usher, Kehlani and Alessia Cara.<\/p>\n
A statement from the Wansel family states, \u201cWe wish to express our gratitude for the outpouring of condolences we are receiving for our loved one, Grammy winner and one of the architects of the Sound of Philadelphia, Dexter Wansel. He\u2019s at peace now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Memorial details will be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n
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