Besides headliner James Brown, the Georgie Woods Show at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia featured a singing contest. The Ambassadors won but chose the $300 cash over the other option, a recording contract. They were later signed to Arctic Records by its head, Jimmy Bishop, who was also program director of WDAS Radio. Their first release was leased to Atlantic Records and then they joined Arctic Records for “I Really Love You” b/w “I Can’t Believe You Love Me” (Arctic 147), which came out on December 26, 1968.
Bobby Todd had just finished Simon Gratz High School. His older brother Calvin worked at a Robert Hall clothing store. Herley Johnson worked at a Texaco gas station. His brother Johnny had just graduated from Dobbins High School and the fifth member of the group, Ben Speller, worked in a travel agency.
As the back of their album, Soul Summit, showed, their studio musicians were the top of the Philadelphia R&B scene: Norman Harris and Bobby Eli on guitars, Ronnie Baker on bass, Earl Young on drums, Vince Montana on vibes and percussion, Bobby Martin arranger and Jimmy Bishop producer. Leon Huff was on piano, the group formed the nucleus of MFSB and the Philadelphia Sound that would soon emerge.
The Ambassadors bought themselves a Chevy bus for $1,100 and hit the road to promote their music, getting to St. Louis and Montreal. Their immortality was not just musical. The cover of Soul Summit was pictured in Bob Merlis and Davin Seay’s book, Heart & Soul: A Celebration of Black Music Styles in America 1930-1975. The authors commented, “There’s no question that their double-breasted evening wear with Chesterfield collars, red contrasting Edwardian lapels, and ruffled shirts looked smashing against the imposing front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.”
