Free Republic

If anyone was likely to find a lost musical treasure in Philadelphia, it was Max Ochester. At 14, he was selling hand-selected records to sample-hungry hip-hop stars including Pete Rock and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. Now 47, Ochester has devoted his life to digging up rare vinyl and studio tapes, reissuing albums, recording forgotten artists and preserving the illustrious musical history of his home city. In the early summer of 2022, he received a tip from a vinyl collector that a large collection of reel-to-reel studio tapes was for sale in a foreclosed house in the Philadelphia suburbs....

This year just keeps getting sadder in the world of music, and this one really hits us hard. Legendary Philadelphia soul singer, Billy Paul, has died at age 81. Paul actively performed for a half century, but was best known for this chart-topping 1972 hit, "Me and Mrs. Jones." It was without a doubt one of the most lauded soul songs ever -- after overcoming some inital controversy -- and Paul made it his own with an expressive delivery over pristine Gamble & Huff production.

Billy Paul, the soul singer best known for the No. 1 hit ballad “Me and Mrs. Jones,” has died. Paul’s co-manager, Beverly Gay, told The Associated Press that Paul died Sunday at his home in Blackwood, New Jersey. Gay says Paul was 80 and had been diagnosed recently with pancreatic cancer. …