Kenny Jeremiah – Philly’s Cool Soul Survivor |

Kenny quotes: “Always render more and better service than is expected of you – no matter what your task may be.”

As charismatic frontman for The Soul Survivors, Kenny Jeremiah has remained a beloved entertainer in Philadelphia’s R&B music scene for nearly 50 years. But with hits like 1967’s “Expressway to Your Heart,” the fame of Philly’s esteemed son spread far beyond the City of Brotherly Love. Kenny Jeremiah, Philly’s blue-eyed soul man, has entertained millions of people worldwide, sold millions of records, and gained the enduring respect of music industry colleagues.

When The Whistle Blows Anything Goes!

Entering what would become an illustrious music career, Kenny founded the New York-based band The Dedications in the early 1960s, and released several singles between 1962 and 1964. In 1965, he and brothers Richie and Charlie Ingui, formed the unique sound of The Soul Survivors. The band was signed to a recording contract with Philadelpha’s Crimson Records, and quickly connected with the popular songwriting duo of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.

Photo courtesy of YouTube

In 1967, Kenny Jeremiah and The Soul Survivors released their first album, When The Whistle Blows Anything Goes, and rode to the top of Billboard charts with the million-selling single, “Expressway to Your Heart.” The song reached #1 in the Philadelphia area, and peaked at #4 nationally on Billboard’s Hot 100. In fact, “Expressway to Your Heart” was the first gold record for Kenny Jeremiah, and the first national hit for the songwriting and production team of Gamble & Huff. The song’s unique, reverberating style ultimately spawned a musical paradigm which became known as The Sound Of Philadelphia (TSOP).

In 2009, Rock and Roll hall-of-famer Bruce Springsteen added “Expressway To Your Heart” to his Working on a Dream tour, and in 2011, Todd Rundgren and Daryl Hall released a YouTube video of the classic R&B hit. Enjoying countless covers and samples of the song, The Soul Survivors hit “Expressway To Your Heart” was voted by readers of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Post as the greatest record to ever come out of Philly.

Photo courtesy of adventurepaul.com

Kenny and The Soul Survivors also catalogued success with “Explosion In Your Soul,” another single from their debut album. It reached #3 on 1967’s R&B charts, and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same year. In 1981, iconic duo The Blues Brothers covered the song, and in 1988, new Wave band The Breakfast Club released their version of the Soul Survivors’ hit. “Expressway To Your Heart” and “Explosion In Your Soul” sold millions of copies, and continue to be featured in heavy rotation on R&B stations around the world today.

Kenny and The Soul Survivors grabbed the spotlight again in 1969 with “Impossible Misson (Mission Impossible),” their third hit single from When The Whistle Blows Anything Goes. Although it didn’t land as high on Bilboard charts as their earlier hits, the song helped secure The Soul Survivors as one of Philly’s most successful and legendary R&B bands.

Let The Good Times Roll with Kenny

During his tenure with The Soul Survivors, Kenny Jeremiah toured and collaborated with Big Brother and the Holding Company, Janis Joplin, Richie Havens, Eric Clapton, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and Jackie Wilson, to name just a few. While many R&B fans know Kenny best through his work with The Soul Survivors, he also achieved disco success with the 70s group, Shirley & Company. The group’s lead singer, Shirley Goodman, had achieved monumental success 20 years earlier with her hit single, “Let The Good Times Roll.” Shirley & Company’s 1975 hit “Shame Shame Shame” reached #1 on European Disco and Dance charts, and #12 on US pop charts. While touring with Shirley & Company, Kenny played to sold-out shows and collaborated on more million selling records.

Kenny is an Enduring Music Legend

Courtesy of Kenny Jeremiah

Kenny Jeremiah moved on as a solo artist, and spent much of the 80s and 90s performing in the clubs and casinos of the popular Jersey Shore circuit, where fans relished in his renditions of The Soul Survivors R&B hits, the disco classics of Shirley & Company, and his charismatic covers of classic Philly-based anthems which comprised The Sound of Philadelphia.

Courtesy of Cruisin’ 92.1 WVLT

For nearly five decades Kenny Jeremiah has delighted music lovers on a global level. Having amassed fans and followers throughout the United States, Europe, the U.K., and beyond, Kenny Jeremiah’s magnetic voice continues to draw fans through radio. Each Tuesday night from 10-11pm, Kenny Jeremiah, and DJ Pepper Paul host their infamous “Rock & Soul Radio Show” on Vineland New Jersey’s 92.1fm WVLT. The show is also distributed to a global audience at wvlt.com.

Yet the easy-listening vocal stylings of Kenny Jeremiah extend far beyond radio air waves. His charismatic showmanship and stage presence continue to fill the seats of top live entertaiment venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic seaboard. As part of the duo The Jeremiah Hunter Band, he and Bobby Hunter, along with Kit Whorton, Greg Pordon, Matt Curran, and Jeff Seycot have logged rousing performances at venues including the 4th of July @Somers Point Beach Concert, and at Harrah’s and the Trump Plaza Hotels in Atlantic City.

With boundless energy and an innate ability to draw the adulation of enthusiastic fans, Kenny’s live performances remain legendary. Seamlessly blending superb vocals and the high-octane energy of rock concerts, Kenny’s illustrious career has proven the power of endurance.

Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose

Kenny Jeremiah & Pepper Paul are now playing on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at Rack’s in Williamstown, NJ. @ 2021 N. Black Horse Pike
856-875-9700 to call for reservations, which is highly recommended. If you are #hookedon Kenny Jeremiah like we are, then like his fan page on FB, watch his videos on Hooked on Everything YouTube Channel. And on Friday evenings, join Kenny at Joey M’s LaPiazza in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Kenny’s newest releases, “Let It Be Me” and “You Sang to Me” are available for purchase. Visit iTunes to purchase the songs, featured below, as well as other Kenny Jeremiah recordings, including Get Up, Get Down, Get Funky, Get Loose,” his soulful tribute to Teddy Pendergrass and TSOP, and Enrique Iglesias’s dance ballad, “Hero,” which is experiencing heavy play in dance clubs.