Kenny Gamble b. 11 August 1943; Leon Huff b. 8 April 1942; founders of Philadelphia International Records
Gamble and Huff wrote and produced the song, and founded Philadelphia International Records in 1971 as a deliberate rival to Motown. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2008 as the first recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers. The Simply Red version won them a Grammy for Best R&B Song at the 1990 ceremony — a songwriter’s award, which is why the trophy went to the two men who had written the song in the first place.