The Stylistics. were formed in 1968 from the fragments of two Philadelphia groups, the Monarchs and the Percussion, by:
Russell Thompkins Jnr. (b. 21st March 1951, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)
Airrion Love (b. 8th October 1951, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)
James Smith (b. 16th June 1950, New York City, U.S.A.)
Herbie Murrell (b. 27th April 1949, Lane, South Carolina, U.S.A.)
James Dunn (b. 4th February 1950, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.)
Signing to Avco Records, The Stylistics began working with producer Thom Bell, who had already produced a catalog 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.
They had their first U.S. hit in 1971 with "You're a Big Girl Now".
Their hits — distilled from three albums — from this period included "Betcha by Golly Wow!" (U.S. #3), "I'm Stone in Love with You", "Break Up To Make Up" (U.S. #5), "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.
This commercial success was not confined only to the U.S., with the band also having big hits with this material throughout Europe.
Song List Includes:
Betcha by Golly Wow!
Rock & Roll Baby
You Make Me Feel Brand New
& more
Run Time: 24 Mins
DVD & VHS