The Stylistics was one of the best-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968, and comprised lead Russell Thompkins, Jr., Herbie Murrell, Airrion Love (second lead on "You Make Me Feel Brand New"), James Smith, and James Dunn. Conference National Division Eastern Year founded 2004 Home arena Wachovia Center & Wachovia Spectrum(alt. ... In music, a band is a company of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of or improvising a musical arrangement on different musical instruments. ... Airrion Love (born 8 August 1949, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a member of The Stylistics, a soul group of the seventies. ...

Career

They had their first U.S. hit in 1971 with "You're a Big Girl Now". Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list—a chart—of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. ... See also: 1970 in music, other events of 1971, 1972 in music, 1970s in music and the list of years in music // February 8 - Bob Dylans hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New Yorks Academy of Music. ...

Signing to Avco Records, The Stylistics began working with producer Thom Bell, who had already produced a catalogue of hits for The Delfonics, and songwriter Linda Creed. Bell imported the sweet soul techniques he had perfected with The Delfonics, and his arrangements worked perfectly with Thompkins' falsetto. The bittersweet lyrics from Creed were a key factor in creating hugely memorable music. Avco Records was a record label started in the early 1960s by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore and Joseph Levine. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Thom Bell was the record producer behind much of the Philadelphia soul subgenre of soul music in the 1970s. ... The Delfonics were a quintessential Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Linda Creed (1949 - 1986) was a songwriter who teamed up with Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... In music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet. ... Falsetto (IPA: Italian , General American , RP ) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range. ... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... // Music is an art form consisting of sound and silence expressed through time. ...

Their hits — distilled from three albums — from this period included "Betcha by Golly Wow!", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up To Make Up", "You Make Me Feel Brand New" featuring a double lead with Love, "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" and "You Are Everything". "You Make Me Feel Brand New" was the group's biggest U.S. hit, holding at #2 for two weeks in the spring of 1974, and was one of five U.S. gold singles the Stylistics collected. The Stylistics' smooth sound also found an easier path onto adult contemporary airwaves than other soul artists, and the group made Billboard magazine's Easy Listening singles chart twelve times from 1971 to 1976, with three entries ("Betcha by Golly Wow!," "You Make Me Feel Brand New," and "You'll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart)") reaching the Top 10. Image File history File links You_Make_Me_Feel_Brand_New. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Betcha by Golly Wow! is a song written by Linda Creed and Thom Bell in 1970. ... Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) was a popular hit for Philly soul group The Stylistics in 1971 and was re-released as a hit duet cover for Motown legends Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross in 1973. ... You Are Everything is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. ... Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has sold a certain number of copies. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreciated to just AC, is a type of radio format that plays mainstream and pop music, without hip-hop or rap since, as per the name, it is geared more towards adults than teens. ... Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... A top 10 list is a generic term used to indicate a list of items, usually ten in number, which are considered to be best, worst, or notable in some other way, typically a record chart. ...

The group split with Thom Bell in 1974, and the split proved devastating commercially to the group's success in the U.S. Just as with The Delfonics, The Stylistics were to some extent a vehicle for Bell's own creativity. They struggled hard to find producers who could come up with the right material, and partnerships with Hugo & Luigi and Van McCoy were notably less successful. They left Avco for H&L Records and the Stylistics' popularity rapidly declined in the U.S. However, just as that success began to wane, their popularity in Europe, and especially the United Kingdom, increased. Indeed, the lighter 'pop' sound fashioned by Van McCoy and Hugo and Luigi gave the band a UK Number one in 1975 with "I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)". Further successes with "Na Na is the Saddest Word", "Funky Weekend" and "Can't Help Falling in Love" consolidated the band's European popularity. Van McCoy Van Allen Clinton McCoy (January 6, 1940 - July 6, 1979) was a music producer, musician, and songwriter who had a massive hit with the disco song The Hustle in 1975, after writing hits for soul acts like Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Ruby and the Romantics, as... After leaving Avco Records, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore set up their own record label H&L Records. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list—a chart—of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. ... I Cant Give You Anything (But My Love) was a UK #1 single in August 1975 for three weeks by The Stylistics. ... Cant Help Falling in Love, by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, is a pop song based on Plaisir damour by Jean Paul Egide Martini. ...

Notwithstanding this, the Stylistics began to struggle with what many saw as increasingly weak material after 1976. Although the singles and albums came out as before, chart success vanished. This decline also coincided with the rise of New Wave in Europe around this time. It was also stated by Russell Thompkins Jr. (in the re-issue sleevenotes for the 1976 album Fabulous) that the band began to feel that the music they were recording was becoming increasingly dated, and not in keeping with the emerging disco sound of the late 1970s. New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in Western popular music in the late 1970s and early 1980s inspired by the punk rock movement. ... Disco is a genre of dance-oriented pop music that was popularized in dance clubs (discothèques) in the mid-1970s, and which dominated mainstream pop until the late 1970s. ...

In 1980, James Dunn departed 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 a trio. Love, Murrell, and Thompkins continued to tour until 2000, when original lead Russell Thompkins, Jr. left. Love and Murrell brought in two new members, Harold "Eban" Brown, formerly of the Delfonics, as lead (who sounds amazingly like a young Russell Thompkins), and tenor Van Fields. The present group is featured live on the DVD's "The Stylistics Live at the Convention Center" (2006), as well as along with other artists of the 1970s on the DVD "The Big Show." See also: Musical groups established in 1980 Record labels established in 1980 list of years in music 1980s in music. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or examples of poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Size comparison: A 12 cm Sony DVD+RW and a 19 cm Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. ...

In 2004, Russell Thompkins, Jr. started a new group, the New Stylistics, with the returning Raymond Johnson, James Ranton, and Jonathan Buckson. They are featured on the DVD "Old School Soul Party Live!," which was part of the PBS "My Music" series. Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ...

In 2006, their hit single "I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" was used as a base for a advertisement campaign for Gatsby's new product launch "Moving Rubber". The campaign was highly successful due in no small part to the catchy nature of the tune and they appeared with SMAP in a guest appearance on Japan TV. I Cant Give You Anything (But My Love) was a UK #1 single in August 1975 for three weeks by The Stylistics. ...

Their song, "People Make the World Go Round", was used by Spike Lee in the soundtrack for his movie, Crooklyn, made in 1994. Shelton Jackson Lee (born March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Spike Lee, is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. ... In film formats, the soundtrack is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... Crooklyn is a semi-autobiographical film written and directed by Spike Lee that was released in 1994. ...

Personnel

• Russell Thompkins Jr - born 21 March 1951 in Philadelphia. (1968-2000)
• James Dunn - born 4 February 1950, in Philadelphia. (1968-80)
• Herbie Murrell - born 27 April 1947 in Lane, South Carolina. (1968-present)
• James Smith - born 16 June 1950, in New York. (1968-80)
• Airrion Love - born 8 August 1949, in Philadelphia. (1968-present)
• Raymond Johnson (1980-86)
• Harold "Eban" Brown (2000-present)
• Van Fields (2000-present)

March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: , Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ... is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lane is a town located in Williamsburg County, South Carolina. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...

Cover versions

The Stylistics' catalog of hits has been mined frequently by other artists in recent years. Notable examples include:

• "Betcha by Golly, Wow!" covered by Prince.
• "You Are Everything" by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, Michael McDonald, Daryl Hall & John Oates and Vanessa Williams.
• The song "You Are Everything" was also recorded by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, and featured on the album release Diana & Marvin.
• "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by Boyz II Men, Roberta Flack and Simply Red.
• "I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" by Thomas Anders.
• Mary J. Blige also used the chief line from the chorus of "You Are Everything" ("You are everything, and everything is you") in her 1997 hit "Everything."
• Their hit song "You're a Big Girl Now" was sampled by rapper Ghostface Killah for the song "Big Girl" on his album Fishscale.
• In 2006, Letoya Luckett used a similar sample to the background track of "You Are Everything," for the music to her hit single "Torn."
• Producer 9th Wonder sampled the group's song "One Night Affair" for Little Brother's 2005 hit "Lovin' It".

Some of the Stylistics' hits were themselves cover versions, including "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" (a 1964 hit for Dionne Warwick) and "Can't Help Falling In Love." In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an iconic American musician. ... Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross[1] on March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress, whose musical repertoire spans R&B, soul, disco, jazz, and pop. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Several people bear the name Michael McDonald: Michael McDonald is an American blue-eyed soul singer. ... Daryl Hall and John Oates. ... Vanessa Lynn Williams This article is about Vanessa Williams the actress and singer, for the actress on Melrose Place see Vanessa Williams (actress). ... Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross[1] on March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress, whose musical repertoire spans R&B, soul, disco, jazz, and pop. ... Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. ... Diana & Marvin was the successful duets project released by legendary soul singers Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye in 1973. ... Boyz II Men is an American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... Roberta Flack Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina) is an American singer. ... Simply Red are an English pop band. ... I Cant Give You Anything (But My Love) was a UK #1 single in August 1975 for three weeks by The Stylistics. ... Thomas Anders (born Bernd Weidung, 1 March 1963, in Münstermaifeld, Germany) is a German singer, composer and record producer. ... This article or section may contain excessive or improper use of copyrighted images and/or audio files. ... A refrain (from the Old French refraindre to repeat, likely from Vulgar Latin refringere) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the chorus of a song. ... Scream film trilogy, see Ghostface (Scream). ... Fishscale is the fifth solo album by Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah. ... LeToya Nicole Luckett (born in March 11, 1981), known professionally as LeToya, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Torn is the first official single (second overall) from American R&B singer LeToyas debut album LeToya which was released in March 2006 and soon became a hit, having a high airplay, just missing out the top ten on the U.S. Hot 100 Airplay charts at number eleven. ... 9th Wonder (born Patrick Douthit, January 15, 1975 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is a Grammy Award winning hip hop producer from Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. He began his career as the main producer for the group Little Brother, and has also worked with the likes of Mary J. Blige... Little Brother is an American hip-hop group from North Carolina that consists of Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder. ... Marie Dionne Warrick (born December 12, 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey), known professionally as Dionne Warwick, is an African-American singer best known for her work with Hal David and Burt Bacharach as songwriters and producers. ...

Photos

The Stylistics

The Stylistics 1980: Clockwise from top, James Smith, Russel Thompkins, Jr., Herb Murrel, Airrion Love Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The Stylistics 1980-86: L-R Airrion Love, Herb Murrel, Russel Thompkins, Jr., Raymond Johnson Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The Stylistics currently: L-R Herb Murrel, Eban Brown, Van Fields, Airrion Love Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Discography

Albums

• The Stylistics - 1971
• Round 2- 1972
• Rockin' Roll Baby - UK No. 42 - August 1974
• Let's Put It All Together - UK No. 26 - September 1974
• From The Mountain - UK No. 36 - March 1975
• The Best Of The Stylistics - UK No. 1 - April 1975
• Thank You Baby - UK No. 5 - July 1975
• You Are Beautiful - UK No. 26 - December 1975
• Fabulous - UK No. 21 - June 1976
• Best Of The Stylistics Volume 2 - UK No. 1 - September 1976
• Hurry Up This Way Again - 1980
• Some Things Never Change - 1985
• The Greatest Hits Of The Stylistics - UK No. 34 - October 1992

The Stylistics is a 1971 album by The Stylistics. ...

Singles

• "You're a Big Girl Now" (1971) - US #73
• "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" (1971) - US #39
• "You Are Everything" (1971) - US #9 (certified Gold)
• "Betcha by Golly Wow!" (1972) - US #3 (Gold) / UK #13
• "People Make the World Go Round" (1972) - US #25
• "I'm Stone In Love With You" (1972) - US #10 (Gold) / UK #9
• "Break Up to Make Up" (1973) - US #5 (Gold) / UK #34
• "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" (1973) - US #23
• "Peek-a-Boo" (1973) - UK #35
• "Rockin' Roll Baby" (1973) - US #14 / UK #6
• "You Make Me Feel Brand New" (1974) - US #2 (Gold) / UK #2
• "Let's Put It All Together" (1974) - US #18 / UK #9
• "Heavy Fallin' Out" (1974) - US #41
• "Star On a TV Show" (1975) - US #47 / UK #12
• "Thank You Baby" (1975) - US #70
• "Sing Baby Sing" (1975) - UK #3
• "I Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)" (1975) - US #51 / UK #1
• "Na-Na Is the Saddest Word" (1975) - UK #5
• "Funky Weekend" (1975) - US #76 / UK #10
• "You Are Beautiful" (1976) - US #79
• "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1976) - UK #4
• "Sixteen Bars" (1976) - UK #7
• "You'll Never Get to Heaven (EP)" (1976) - UK #24
• "$7,000 and You" (1977) - UK #24

You Are Everything is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. ... A Gold Single is a single that has passed a milestone in official sales. ... Betcha by Golly Wow! is a song written by Linda Creed and Thom Bell in 1970. ... Cant Help Falling in Love, by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, is a pop song based on Plaisir damour by Jean Paul Egide Martini. ...

References

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
• Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7

The cover of the 1989 7th edition of the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles Guinness World Records - British Hit Singles & Albums is a music reference book, published in the United Kingdom, by Hit Entertainment, the company that owns such childrens entertainment brands as Bob the Builder and Thomas...

Awards and recognition

The Stylistics were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor what they term the Greatest Vocal Groups in the World. The Hall of Fame is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Website
• The Stylistics Official UK Discography With Charts Info
• 'The Stylistics' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
• Guest Appearance With Smap
• Gatsby Ad