Moment of Truth

An obscure yet outstanding East Coast quartet, Moment of Truth fused Philadelphia soul with Philadelphia disco in the same vein as the Trammps and Double Exposure. The male vocal ensemble—Norris Harris, Ivery "Caprice" Bell, Michael Garrison, and Billy Jones—remained deeply attuned to disco’s soul origins while drawing heavily from such classic Philly soul acts as the Intruders and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Established during the 1970s, the group cut its self-titled debut album for Salsoul in 1977. Despite its excellence, the album received no radio attention and achieved only minimal commercial results. The single “Helplessly,” however, managed to register as a minor club success. Moment of Truth disbanded before completing a follow-up LP, leaving its sole album out of print for an extended period until Salsoul finally brought it back on CD in 1993.