Relatively unknown outside the United States, composer and keyboard player Dexter Wansel is credited with having had a significant influence on the genre that developed into new age soul and jazz funk. Although his most successful album was the 1976 release on Philadelphia International, ‘Life On Mars’, for those who admire the origins of edgy yet sensuous contemporary jazz the 1979 release ‘Time Is Slipping Away’ must arguably be Wansel’s finest moment. It contained the iconic track ‘The Sweetest Pain’ which featured vocals from Terri Wells and today still sounds just as fresh as on the day it was recorded.
In fact Wansel leaped to prominence as a virtually constant presence on all of Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia blockbusters. During this period he worked with Phyllis Hyman, The Jacksons, Jean Carn, MFSB, Teddy Pendergrass, Grover Washington Jr. and Lou Rawls amongst many others while he also wrote The Jones Girls 1982 hit ‘Nights over Egypt’. Not only that, he also combined with frequent songwriting partner Cynthia Biggs to compose Patti Labelle's 1984 #1 R&B hit, ‘If Only You Knew’.
In 1991 Wansel’s ‘Global Warming’ from the album ‘Universe’ received airplay on smooth jazz radio and throughout the 90s he continued to work with the re-activated Philadelphia International Records and occasionally toured. In 2000 he again joined forces with MFSB to both write and arrange for the gospel artist Jeff Majors.