2008 is shaping up as a banner year in the phenomenal careers of the mythic songwriting and production team Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, best-known as the sonic architects and co-founders of the immortal "Sound of Philadelphia."

45 years after the duo's very first collaborations, Gamble and Huff will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the newly-named Ahmet Ertegun Award (formerly the "non-performer category") at a ceremony at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on March 10, 2008.

The duo's indelible contributions to popular music and culture can be felt in this year's Grammy Awards nominations with several categories featuring samples or interpretations of classic Gamble-Huff songs.  Kanye West--who's nominated for Album of the Year, Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Album--incorporated Edwin Birdsong's "Cola Bottle Baby" into the track "Stronger" from his album "Graduation." Michael Bublé performs the classic "Me & Mrs. Jones" on "Call Me Irresponsible," a nominee for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.  Keyshia Cole included a sample of the O'Jays' "She's Only A Woman" on "Just Like You," a nominee for the Best Contemporary R&B Album Grammy.

In August 2007, Sony BMG Music Entertainment entered into an historic agreement to license the complete catalog of music from Philadelphia International Records (PIR), the groundbreaking hit-making label founded by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971, to be released through Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Commercial Music Group and Legacy Recordings.

The monumental PIR reissue project is being conducted under the direct auspices of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.

The next round of releases in the PIR reissue project, "Conquer The World: The Lost Soul of Philadelphia International Records" and "The Sound of Philadelphia: Gamble & Huff's Greatest Hits," will be available on March 4, 2008.

"Conquer The World: The Lost Soul of Philadelphia International Records" honors and celebrates some of the lesser-known artists on the PIR roster, local celebrities like Bunny Sigler, Bobby Bennett, Johnny Williams, Ruth McFadden, Pat & The Blenders, The Soul Devaliants and Love Committee.  Beloved in Philadelphia's bars and neighborhoods, they never conquered the world yet nonetheless created timeless sounds that moved hearts and touched souls.  This CD collection contains four bonus tracks not available on last year's vinyl LP release, and all tracks were personally selected by PIR's founding fathers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The 14 classics on "The Sound of Philadelphia: Gamble & Huff's Greatest Hits" compilation celebrate their vision as hitmakers, educators, and keepers of the cultural flame with songs by artists including The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, MFSB, Billy Paul, the Three Degrees, People's Choice, the Intruders, Lou Rawls, McFadden & Whitehead, Teddy Pendergrass, and Patti LaBelle.  Newly-elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the American masters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff of Philadelphia International wrote and produced some of the most musically creative and socially significant records of our time and this collection testifies to the enduring             quality of their work.

The new PIR licensing agreement will allow Legacy Recordings and the Sony BMG Music Entertainment Commercial Music Group to release PIR recordings drawn from the entire history of the label.  The PIR reissue project will consist of releases in physical and digital media (including ringtones and other cell phone and PDA applications) and will include artist-specific and thematic compilations, new additions to the "Essentials" series, live and unreleased material, and many more secret finds and rarities to be mined from the deep and coveted collection of classic recordings in the PIR vaults.

The Grammy-winning multi-platinum-selling Gamble and Huff are responsible for one of the most recognizable and influential catalogs of pop and soul music ever recorded:  70 #1 Pop and R&B singles, 175 RIAA Gold, Platinum and multi-platinum certifications, five Grammys including the Recording Academy's Trustees Award and more than 3,500 songs produced to date.  Having been covered or sampled by a vast array of artists including Jay-Z, Babyface, Nelly, OutKast, Angie Stone, Simply Red (whose 1989 version of "If You Don't Know Me By Now" was a #1 record earning Gamble and Huff the Best R&B Song Grammy), Bette Midler, Mary J. Blige, Michael Bublé, Kanye West, 50 Cent and T.I., among many others, Gamble and Huff songs and productions have entered the musical DNA of contemporary culture.  It has been reported that one of Gamble and Huff's songs is played on the radio somewhere in the world every 13.5 minutes.

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