While not as well-known as his contemporaries, Bunny Sigler – born Walter Sigler on Marcy 27, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – had a hand in helping to create the classic ‘Philly Sound’ alongside Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Thom Bell, and others. He began his musical career by performing in choirs at church before joining local doo-wop groups and then finally performing as a singer / pianist in the late 1950s. He recorded for several labels before scoring a pop and R&B hit with “Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good” (1967) for the Cameo-Parkway Records label. Other hit singles under his own name included “Tossin’ and Turnin’” (1973), “Love Train (Part 1)” (1974), “Keep Smilin’” (1974), “Let Me Party with You (Party, Party, Party)” (1977), and “By the Way You Dance (I Knew It Was You)” (1979). However, it was his work behind the scenes that solidified his place in Philadelphia soul history. Bunny Sigler began working as a songwriter and producer for Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International Records, co-writing and / or producing songs for the O’Jays, Billy Paul, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Instant Funk, and more. The ‘Philly Sound’ was alive and well outside of the PIR label and Bunny Sigler worked with other artists including the Whispers, Curtis Mayfield, Carl Carlton, Barbara Mason, and others. By 1977, he had left PIR and moved over to Salsoul Records before working freelance in the 1980s. Bunny Sigler later worked with Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Stephanie Mills, Patti LaBelle, and others. Bunny Sigler died on October 6, 2017, at the age of 76.
