A Philadelphia songwriting, production, and performing duo who were prominent at Philadelphia International during the '70s, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead also scored a number one R&B hit as vocalists. Their single "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" was number one R&B in 1979 and peaked at number 13 pop. The two were members of the Epsilons as teens, a band that toured with and were managed by Otis Redding until his death in 1967. They later signed with Stax and had a moderate hit in 1970 with "The Echo." When Lloyd Parkes left, McFadden & Whitehead changed their name to Talk of the Town and began working with Gamble & Huff. Although they were being primed to record for North Bay, when Gamble & Huff discovered the duo's writing talents, they decided instead to employ them in that capacity at their label, Philadelphia International. Their first collaboration came on the Intruders' "I'll Always Love My Mama." They later wrote and/or produced such classics as "Backstabbers" for the O'Jays, "Bad Luck" and "Wake Up Everybody" for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and "Let's Groove," "Soul City Walk," "Strategy," and "Don't Let Love Get You Down" for Archie Bell & the Drells. They also worked with Carolyn Crawford and did outside projects during the '70s and '80s with Melba Moore, Gloria Gaynor, Freddie Jackson, Willie Collins, and Beau Williams. The duo cut their own album, McFadden & Whitehead, in 1979 and made more singles for TSOP in 1980 and Capitol in 1982. "I Heard It in a Love Song" was a Top 30 R&B hit in 1980. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
When they were teenagers, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead formed a group called The Epsilons. They were discovered by Otis Redding and toured with him during the late 1960s until Redding's death in a plane crash in 1967.
The duo later joined Philly International Records, where they wrote hit after hit, the first being "Back Stabbers" in 1972 for the O'Jays. It became No. 1 across the board in one week.
McFadden and Whitehead formed together as a group officially under the name "McFadden & Whitehead" in 1977. The pinnacle of their success came in 1979 with "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now," which went to #1 on the R&B charts, #13 on the pop charts, sold 8 million records worldwide and was nominated for a Grammy award. The duo was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where they sang their most famous song on an episode in which Oprah featured the top hits of the 1970s.
Other hits include:
"I Got The Love"
"You're My Somebody to Love"
"I've Been Pushed Aside"
"Got to Change"
"Do You Want to Dance?"
"Just Wanna Love You Baby"
"Mr. Music"
"This Is My Song"
Deaths of McFadden & Whitehead
On May 11, 2004, Whitehead was murdered while working on his car with his nephew on the street outside of his Philadelphia home. He was shot by two unknown gunmen who fled afterwards. The case remains unsolved. Whitehead was 54 years old.
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" was played at the May 17th, 2005 victory party of Antonio Villaraigosa after he was declared the winner of the Los Angeles mayoral race. The song was then sung on stage by Villaraigosa, his political allies, and by the large crowd in attendance.[1]
"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is the unofficial anthem of several Philadelphia pro sports teams, including the Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers.[2]
It was also used several times as the entrance music for the former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes and is WBA Heavyweight champion and former undisputed cruiserweight champion, David Haye's regular entrance music.
