Gene McFadden
Gene McFadden (January 28, 1949 – January 27, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was one of the key members of the Philadelphia International record label, and was one-half of the successful team of McFadden & Whitehead with John Whitehead.
Gene McFadden
- Name
- Gene McFadden
- Born
- 28 January 1949
- Birthplace
- Olanta, South Carolina, U.S.
- Died
- 27 January 2006
- Place of death
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
- Occupation
- Singer, songwriter, record producer
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- disco
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Gene McFadden • Born — 28 January 1949 • Birthplace — Olanta, South Carolina, U.S. • Died — 27 January 2006 • Place of death — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. • Genre — Disco, R&B, Philly soul • Occupation — Singer, songwriter, record producer • Instrument — Vocals • Years Active — 1966–2006 • Label — Philadelphia International • Past Member Of — McFadden & Whitehead
Biography
Biography
McFadden met John Whitehead as a teenager and together they founded the Epsilons, a soul music group. The group was discovered by Otis Redding, who acted as their manager. They later toured with Redding until his death in 1967, after which, they signed with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International record label. McFadden & Whitehead soon gained attention for their songwriting ability when their song "Back Stabbers", recorded by The O'Jays, went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The duo wrote many songs for other Philadelphia International artists and had hits such as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Wake Up Everybody (Part 1)", "Bad Luck", The Intruders' "I’ll Always Love My Mama," and their own, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" (#1 R&B) in 1979. McFadden, along with Whitehead, was instrumental in defining the sound of Philadelphia soul.
Illness and death
Illness and death
McFadden was diagnosed with liver and lung cancer in 2004, and died from the disease at his home in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia on January 27, 2006, one day shy of his 57th birthday. He was survived by his wife Barbara, two daughters, and two sons.
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Olanta.
Birth place
Philadelphia.
Death place
Legacy
In 2016, a federal appeals court ruled that the estates of both McFadden and Whitehead were allowed to retain control of the duo's song catalog.
Other sources
Other sources
• Jeckell, Barry A. (January 30, 2006). "R&B Artist/Songwriter Gene McFadden Dies". Billboard. Retrieved on April 13, 2007. • Perrone, Pierre (January 31, 2006). "Obituary". The Independent. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
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Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Gene McFadden, revision 1371004047 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 25 August 2026.
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