Stylistics, The

Stylistics, The, one of the leading exponents of the lush, mellow sound of Philadelphia soul. MEMBERSHIP: Russell Tompkins Jr., lead ten. voc. (b. Philadelphia, Pa., March 21, 1951); Airron Love, ten. voc. (b. Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 8, 1949); Herbert Murrell, lead bar. voc. (b. Lane, S.C., April 27, 1949); James Dunn, bar. voc. (b. Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 4, 1950); James Smith, bs. voc. (b. N.Y.C., June 16, 1950).

Under producer Thorn Bell, the Stylistics scored a series of pop, R&B, and easy-listening hits in the first half of the 1970s with songs written by Bell and Linda Creed, such as “Betcha By Golly, Wow,” “Break Up to Make Up,” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” Sustaining their success under producers Hugo and Luigi for several years after the departure of Bell, the Stylistics continued to score R&B hits through 1986, despite several personnel changes.

The Stylistics formed in 1968 with the merger of two Philadelphia vocal groups, the Percussions and the Monarchs. The group was comprised of Monarchs Russell Tompkins Jr., Airron Love, and James Smith and Percussions James Dunn and Herbert Murrell. They first recorded for Sebring Records in 1969, and their song “You’re a Big Girl Now” was later picked up by Avco Embassy (later simply Avco), where it became a smash R&B hit. Teamed with producer Thorn Bell and the songwriting team of Bell and Linda Creed, the Stylistics scored a series of smash R&B hits through spring 1974, two of which, “Betcha By Golly, Wow” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” also became smash pop and easy-listening hits. Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “YouTl Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)” was a smash R&B and easy-listening hit in 1973. Bell-Creed pop and R&B smashes for the Stylistics include “You Are Everything,” “Fm Stone in Love with You,” and “Break Up to Make Up,” all major easy-listening hits. The team’s “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart),” “People Make the World Go Round,” and “Rockin’ Roll Baby” became smash R&B and major pop hits for the Stylistics.

When Thorn Bell began working with the Spinners, the Stylistics were placed with the songwritingproduction team of Hugo and Luigi under arranger-conductor Van McCoy for 1974’s Let’s Put It All Together. The album’s title song was a major pop and easy-listening and smash R&B hit, but the Stylistics never again scored a major pop hit. “Heavy Fallin’ Out” and “Thank You Baby” became R&B smashes, but even their popularity in that field began to fade after their switch to H&L Records in 1976. In 1978 James Dunn retired due to ill health and the Stylistics switched to Mercury and then TSOP records for the major R&B hits “First Impressions” and “Hurry Up This Way Again,” respectively. James Smith left the group in 1981, and the Stylistics scored their final minor R&B hits on Streetwise Records from 1984 to 1986.

Discography

The S.(1971); Round 2 (1972); Rockin Roll Baby (1973); Let’s Put It All Together (1974); Heavy from the Mountain (1974); Best (1975); Thank You Baby (1975); You Are Beautiful (1975); Fabulous (1976); Once Upon a Jukebox (1977); In Fashion (1978); Love Spell (1979); Hurry Up This Way Again (1980); All-Time Classics (1986); Best, Vol. 2 (1986); Greatest Love Hits (1986).

—Brock Helander