Long a beloved staple of Philadelphia’s airwaves, the Action News theme “Move Closer to Your World” is finally an officially released song, writes Earl Hopkins for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The iconic 6abc theme was released by Philadelphia-based producer duo Maxwell Perla and Vincent John, under their retro-inspired Eraserhood Sound imprint.
The 1970s-style theme is a distinctly Philadelphia sound, and the pair wanted to make sure it could be heard beyond 6abc broadcasts and unofficial YouTube uploads, finally giving it the broader audience it deserves.
“We love the song, and it’s from an era of music that’s influential to us as producers, label owners, and there’s a synergy of our history with us being from Philadelphia,” said John. “If we were going to do an archival release, it would be this one.”
The duo reached out to the family of composer Al Ham, who originally wrote the theme music, and came to a “reasonable agreement” with his son, Sean Ham, who provided them with the original song tapes.
“It was a pleasure to hear that my dad’s work meant so much after he passed away,” said Sean Ham.
The producers recorded the original version and two never-before-heard alternate versions of the song.
Read more about the Action News theme’s newest chapter in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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