Formed in Philadelphia in 1960.
The Intruders consisted of:
Eugene 'Bird' Daughtry (b. 29th October 1939, Kinston, North Carolina, U.S.A, d. 25th December 1994)
Phil Terry (b. 1st November 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)
Robert 'Big Sonny' Edwards (b. 22nd February 1942, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)
Samuel 'Little Sonny' Brown (d. April 1995)
and, later Bobby Starr, (b. 19th January 1937, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.)
The Intruders owed a great deal to the Philadelphia songwriting partnership of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, however, many biographies of the group omit a section of the groups existence in the mid Eighties.
During the groups early incarnation, they were performing as a Doo-Wop outfit in 1960.
They signed with the Gamble label in 1966 and achieved instant success with the Top 20 R & B hit '(We'll Be) United'.
One year later, they charted again with the song 'Together', taken from the album 'The Intruders Are Together'.
By 1968, the group achieved their first major crossover hit with the Gamble & Huff composition 'Cowboys To Girls', hitting the pop charts at number six.
This success was followed up by another Top 40 hit entitled '(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game'.
At the start of the Seventies, the group had some internal conflicts that led to a reshuffle and 'Little Sonny' Brown was replaced by Bobby Starr for their 1970 album 'When We Get Married'.
The hits began to follow, including '(Win Place Or Show) She's A Winner', 'I'll Always Love My Mama' and 'I Wanna Know Your Name'.
By 1975, the group had been signed to the Philadelphia International label.
That same year the group disbanded.
Two members became Jehovah's witnesses, one became a politician and the other a truck driver.
Phil Terry worked as a writer and producer and also worked as an insurance salesman.
The group did reform in 1984 for the album 'Who Do You Love?' under Eugene Daughtry's wing along with Lee Williams, cousin Al Miller and brother Fred Daughtry.
Apart from the successful title track, the album, also, included the song 'Warm and Tender Love', with overall production chores undertaken by the artist Leon Bryant.
The group disbanded again with Eugene passing away in 1994 after a long fight with cancer.
A year later, Samuel Brown committed suicide, jumping from a bridge into the Schuykill River, following a long battle with drug addiction and the loss of his wife and mother.
I would like to thank Gwendolyn M. Upton-Smith for the information regarding her uncle 'Samuel 'Little Sonny' Brown on this page.
Albums:
The Intruders Are Together (Gamble 1967)
Cowboys To Girls (Gamble 1968)
When We Get Married (Gamble 1970)
Save The Children (Gamble 1973)
Energy Of Love (Gamble 1974)
Who Do You Love? (Streetwave 1985)
