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Origin
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Genre
Soul
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1 MaleOrigin
Bryn Mawr, PennsylvaniaGenre
SoulStyle
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Mood
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Born
1950
Active
---Present...
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Most Loved Tracks3 users
Dexter Wansel - Life on Mars2 users
Dexter Wansel - The Sweetest Pain2 users
Dexter Wansel - Theme From the Planets2 users
Dexter Wansel - Rings of Saturn
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Dexter Gilman Wansel (born August 22, 1950) is an American keyboardist, raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He contributed to the development of the Philly Sound and worked with producers Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International Records.
Between 1959 and 1963, as a young boy, Wansel was given the job as a 'gofer' working for the Uptown Theater, providing sandwiches and clothes from the local cleaners for the acts who appeared at the venue who included Patti Labelle and a young Stevie Wonder.
In 1970, aged 20 and after leaving the US Army, he became involved with synthesizer musicians Dick Hyman and Wendy Carlos (formerly Walter Carlos). He started out his musical career by programming the ARP 2600V and 'Putney' keyboards for music sessions held at Sigma Sound Studios. Sigma was the home of Philadelphia Soul and enabled Wansel to progress his career.
Later in the mid-1970s he was a member of the groups Yellow Sunshine, and played keyboards with Instant Funk. He has worked with Phyllis Hyman, The Jacksons, MFSB, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti Labelle, The Jones Girls, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Grover Washington Jr. and Lou Rawls, among many others. He also wrote The Jones Girls 1981 soul music song "Nights over Egypt" and Patti Labelle's 1983 #1 R&B hit, "If Only You Knew", with Cynthia Biggs and Kenny Gamble. His "Theme from the Planets" has been sampled hundreds of times and was featured on the breakbeat compilation album, Ultimate Breaks and Beats.
His most successful album was Life On Mars, released on the Philadelphia International record label in 1976. On the title track Wansel played keyboards and Instant Funk made up the rest of the rhythm section while singer, Terri Wells, was on vocals. Many of the other tracks were recorded by Dexter's rhythm section called The Planets and featured Darryl Brown on drums, Calvin Harris on guitar, Bobby Malach on saxophone, Al Harrison on trumpet, and Derrick Graves on bass.
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