The Intruders

Formed in Philadelphia, USA, in 1960, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry (29 October 1939, Kinston, North Carolina, USA, d. 25 December 1994), Phil Terry (b. 1 November 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA), Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards (b. 22 February 1942, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) and Sam "Little Sonny" Brown (b. Samuel Brown, d. April 1995) enjoyed the benefit of a long-standing relationship with producers Gamble And Huff. Signed to the duo's Excel/Gamble outlet, the band achieved several minor hits, notably "(We'll Be) United" (1966) and "Together" (1967). In 1968, "Cowboys To Girls", a prototype for the emergent Philly-soul sound, became their first million-seller, topping the R&B charts peaking at number 6 in the national US pop chart. The follow-up, "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game", was another huge R&B smash, as well as one of soul's best sporting metaphors, Mel And Tim's "Backfield In Motion" notwithstanding.

In 1970, the Intruders replaced lead Sam Brown with Bobby Starr (b. Robert Ferguson, 19 January 1937, Baltimore, Maryland, USA), and subsequently reached the charts with "When We Get Married" (1970), "(Win, Place Or Show) She's A Winner" (1971), "I'll Always Love My Mama", and "I Wanna Know Your Name' (both 1973). The latter two featured the returning Brown, but by 1975 the Intruders had opted to call it a day. Daughtry revived the name in 1984 and recorded Who Do You Love? with a new line-up, but the revival was short-lived. Cancer claimed Daughtry in 1994 and Brown commited suicide the following year. Starr continues to lead a live version of the Intruders which features no original members. Despite an undeniable quality, the Intruders" releases were always overshadowed by those of stablemates the O'Jays and Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes.