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Testimony and surveillance video shown at a preliminary hearing convinced a judge that Christopher Cimini should be tried on charges including arson and burglary in the Feb. 21 fire that destroyed Philadelphia International Records. The music label, which produced dozens of gold records, was home to artists including Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls and the O'Jays. Gamble and Huff estimated that about 40 percent of their memorabilia was ruined by fire, smoke or water damage. The company already offered tours and a small gift shop, but Gamble said Tuesday that turning at least part of the three-story brick building into a museum could make it a "tremendous" tourist attraction. While noting it would be a long way off pending resolution of insurance claims, the Grammy-winning duo said outpourings of fan support since the disaster have made them think such plans would be well received. "A museum would be great, I'm telling you," Huff said in an interview in the gift shop, which was largely untouched by the fire. "If those walls could talk, they'd tell you some stories about the music business." Gamble, Huff and fellow Philadelphia producer Thom Bell are credited with creating the lush acoustics of 1960s and '70s soul music that became known as the Sound of Philadelphia. Gamble and Huff's songs include the O'Jays' "Love Train," McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now." Gamble noted that since the city's artistic legacy includes performers in other genres — including former teen idols Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell, and rapper Will Smith — the museum could be for all Philadelphia musicians. Several years ago, Gamble had pushed the concept of a downtown music and entertainment district that would be anchored by a $50 million National Center for Rhythm and Blues, featuring a concert hall, music academy, museum and Hall of Fame. The project never got sufficient financial backing, though Gamble did lure the New York-based Rhythm & Blues Foundation to Philadelphia, where it now stages its signature Pioneer Awards event. The fire displaced the foundation from its offices on the building's second floor. Chuck Gamble, Gamble's nephew and the label's executive vice president, testified Tuesday that total damage could reach $3 million to $5 million. Cimini, a 28-year-old ironworker from the city, may have been extremely intoxicated and thought he was somewhere else when he broke into the building, authorities said. Firefighters rescued him from the flames, which began in a storage room; police said Cimini had been using a lighter to see. Cimini did not speak in court Tuesday, but previously his wife has apologized, saying he simply drank too much. Gamble, 66, and Huff, 67, attended the hearing but were sequestered during testimony. They declined to comment on the case, citing faith in the justice system. "The courts will take care of all that," Gamble said. |
