Rhythm and Blues Artist. He received notoriety as half of the songwriting and vocal duo of McFadden and Whitehead, along with Gene McFadden. The two wrote a string of hits for Philadelphia International Records, which were performed by others in the 1970s, including "Back Stabbers," "For the Love of Money," "I'll Always Love My Mamma," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody," "Where Are All My Friends?," "The More I Want," and "Cold, Cold World." As teenagers in Philadelphia, McFadden and Whitehead formed the soul group, "The Epsilons" and were backing vocals on a two-year tour with Otis Redding, until Redding's 1967 death. The pair went on to write songs for such artists as Teddy Pendergrass, the "O'Jays," "Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes," James Brown, Gloria Gaynor, and Stevie Wonder. Their 1979 Grammy-nominated disco song, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," which became a Platinum Record, reached No. 1 on the R & B charts and reached No. 13 on the Pop charts. Performed on their debut album, "McFadden & Whitehead," the song became the anthem for the baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies, as they made their way to the 1980 World Series championship and for the NFL team the Philadelphia Eagles as they reached the 1981 Super Bowl. The 2016 film "Bridget Jones's Baby" used their song "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" on the movie's soundtrack. He converted to Islam in 1996.
Rhythm and Blues Artist. He received notoriety as half of the songwriting and vocal duo of McFadden and Whitehead, along with Gene McFadden. The two wrote a string of hits for Philadelphia International Records, which were performed by others in the 1970s, including "Back Stabbers," "For the Love of Money," "I'll Always Love My Mamma," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody," "Where Are All My Friends?," "The More I Want," and "Cold, Cold World." As teenagers in Philadelphia, McFadden and Whitehead formed the soul group, "The Epsilons" and were backing vocals on a two-year tour with Otis Redding, until Redding's 1967 death. The pair went on to write songs for such artists as Teddy Pendergrass, the "O'Jays," "Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes," James Brown, Gloria Gaynor, and Stevie Wonder. Their 1979 Grammy-nominated disco song, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," which became a Platinum Record, reached No. 1 on the R & B charts and reached No. 13 on the Pop charts. Performed on their debut album, "McFadden & Whitehead," the song became the anthem for the baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies, as they made their way to the 1980 World Series championship and for the NFL team the Philadelphia Eagles as they reached the 1981 Super Bowl. The 2016 film "Bridget Jones's Baby" used their song "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" on the movie's soundtrack. He converted to Islam in 1996.
Bio by: Linda Davis
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