The Steals Brothers

When looking back at the glory that was the Philly Soul scene of the 70s and 80s, there are a number of musical heroes who made that scene happen. And among them are the talented twin brothers Melvin and Mervin Steals.

The Steals brothers graduated from Pennsylvania’s Cheney University, and there met Eddie Holman (“Hey There Lonely Girl”), who helped introduce the duo to Philadelphia soul leaders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, later the founders of the famed Philadelphia International Records.

The Steals Brothers had a moderate hit with the Jaggerz 1969 single “Gotta Find My Way Back Home,” but scored much bigger over the next decade with “Passion and Pain” for First Choice, Gloria Gaynor’s “Honeybee” and their biggest hit, the classic 1972 Spinners single “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love.”

The brothers continued to keep “day jobs” over the years, with Mervin working as a carpenter and Melvin a schoolteacher. But then in 2017, they teamed with legendary producer McKinley Jackson and the revived Chairmen of the Board for Words Left Unsaid, a triumphant EP that highlighted some lesser known Steals songs, beautifully orchestrated and performed. While it didn’t garner major sales, the album was one of the year’s best soul releases, and a welcome revisiting of some underheard songs from the talented Steals brothers.

By Chris Rizik