January 13, 2017 – Richie Ingui (The Soul Survivors) was born the November 15, 1947 in Manhattan, New York.
The predecessor group was formed in New York City in 1965 by Richie and his brother Charlie Ingui, along with Kenny Jeremiah. They first played together under the name The Dedications. (Jeremiah released several singles under this name in 1962 and 1964). They adopted the name Soul Survivors in 1965 and signed to Philadelphia label Crimson Records, who put them in touch with Gamble & Huff. “Expressway to Your Heart” was a #1 hit regionally in Philadelphia and New York in the fall of 1967, and the tune reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 nationally. “Expressway to Your Heart” spent 15 weeks in the charts and sold over one million copies.
The follow-up was “Explosion in Your Soul,” which was not as successful (U.S. #33); a third release, “Impossible Mission”, also was a minor hit in 1969 (U.S. #68). The brothers went on to perform with the likes of Jackie Wilson, The Miracles, Sam and Dave, Janis Joplin, the Beach Boys and Sly and the Family Stone, after they quit playing as a band for a few years, but re-formed with a different lineup in 1972. They had one more hit, “City of Brotherly Love” in 1974.
In the late 1970s, the group lost its record contract and its manager and eventually disbanded. Charlie Ingui became a landscaper, Richie Ingui became a house painter, Paul Venturini became a restaurateur, and drummer Joe Forgione owned an auto body shop. In 1987, the Inqui brothers began playing occasional gigs as the original Soul Survivors and signed a five-record contract in 1991 with Society Hill Records. As of 2006, they were playing occasional dates in the Eastern United States.
In 2013, The Soul Survivors were honored by Philadelphia International Records with the annual Phillies Gamble & Huff Community Partnership Award at Citizens Bank Park. Last year, The Soul Survivors took part in in the Marian Anderson Awards ceremony in Philadelphia, performing a medley of Philly soul tunes that included “Expressway to Your Heart” in tribute to honorees Gamble & Huff and Patti LaBelle.
Richie Ingui died of heart failure on January 13, 2017, at the age of 69 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
