The Stylistics
One of the sweetest soul groups hailing from Philadelphia, with an
incredible run of soul smashes from 1971 to 1975, The Stylistics formed
from two disbanded groups, The Percussions and The Monarchs.
The fragile falsetto of Russell Thompkins Jr and sumptuous production
of Thom Bell added up to serious long-term success for The Stylistics.
The singing group debuted on the charts in 1971 with You're A Big
Girl Now and proceeded to set the soul and pop markets ablaze with You
Are Everything, Betcha By Golly Wow, I'm Stone in
Love With You, You'll Never Get To Heaven If You Break My Heart, Break
Up to Make Up - all ballads - and the untypical rocker Rockin'
Roll Baby on Abco.
Their biggest moment in the UK was Can't Give You Anything (But My
Love) (1975). The disco era eventually buried The Stylistics,
and Thompkins himself acknowledged that the music they were
recording was becoming increasingly dated.
James Dunn departed in 1980 due to health problems and James Smith
left shortly thereafter. The group continued, recruiting new member
Raymond Johnson, and releasing the album Some Things Never Change,
in 1985.
Johnson departed shortly afterward, leaving the group as a trio.
Love, Murrell, and Thompkins continued to tour until 2000, when Russell
Thompkins Jr left.
Love and Murrell brought in two new members: Harold "Eban"
Brown, as lead and tenor Van Fields.
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