PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Some new names are coming to Philadelphia's Walk of Fame. The first inductees since pre-COVID 2019 represent a broad swathe of musical genres, including Broadway, classical, rock and soul.
Among the seven new brass plaques coming to the Avenue of the Arts along South Broad Street, one will be honoring American soul vocal group The Tymes, which formed in Philadelphia in the mid-1950s as the Latineers. In 1963, The Tymes scored a No. 1 hit with “So Much In Love.”
Tenor Albert A. Berry III, one of two original members still touring and performing with The Tymes, says the journey was not always smooth.
“We had to go through the integration, the segregation, the so and so,” he said.
Baritone Norman E. Burnett said, after decades, selling millions of records and scoring several hits on the Billboard 200, having The Tymes on the Walk of Fame is the icing on the cake.
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“It's an honor,” Burnett said. “Not everybody gets this type of recognition, and I’m just happy that it’s happening now.”
The 2023 “Walk of Fame” inductees:
• The Tymes
• Leslie Odom Jr. — who made it big in the original cast of “Hamilton”
• Ed Rendell — who started the Avenue of the Arts revitalization project in 1993, when he was mayor of Philadelphia
• The Bacon Brothers — Michael and Kevin Bacon, whose single “Philly Thing” was released last year
• John DeBella — WMGK DJ
• Patty Jackson — WDAS DJ
• James DePreist (1936-2013) — Nephew of Marian Anderson and one of the first Black conductors to get international recognition
Mark Schulz, with the Philadelphia Music Alliance, says honoring The Tymes is not just a spotlight on the past — it also gives a nod to the future.
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“Everyone feels like ‘I have to go to L.A. or New York,’” Schulz said. To walk down the Avenue of the Arts and say, ‘Oh, wow! These people came from Philadelphia. They came from my hometown. I can do this here. I can be successful in Philadelphia.’ That’s an important lesson that gets lost sometimes.”
The walk of fame ceremony will take place April 20. On that date, another plaque honoring songwriters and producers Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell (1943-2022) as the creators of the “Sound of Philadelphia.” All three were inducted individually in 1993.