Billy Paul

Billy Paul earned all his hits in the '70s as an R&B vocalist, although he'd been recording since the '50s, when he debuted on Jubilee. Born in Philadelphia in 1935, Paul was featured on radio broadcasts at the age of 11 and had an extensive jazz background. (He worked with Dinah Washington, Miles Davis, and Roberta Flack, as well as Charlie Parker, before forming a trio and recording for Jubilee.) His original 1959 recording of "Ebony Woman" for New Dawn was later re-recorded for Neptune as the title of his 1970 LP. He signed the next year with Philadelphia International and...