The Stylistics were 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. 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. They had their first US hit in 1971 with 'You're a Big Girl Now'.
Their hits, distilled from three albums from this period included 'Betcha by Golly Wow!' (US number three), 'I'm Stone in Love with You', 'Break Up to Make Up' (US number five), '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 US hit, holding at number two for two weeks in the spring of 1974 and was one of five US 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 Ten. This commercial success was not confined only to the US, with the band also having big hits with this material throughout Europe.
The group split with Thom Bell in 1974, and the split proved commercially devastating to the group's success in the US. 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 US. 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 '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.
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 sleeve notes 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.
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 group was 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.
In 2004, Russell Thompkins, Jr started a new group, the New Stylistics, with the returning Raymond Johnson, James Ranton and Jonathan Buckson. They were featured on the DVD Old School Soul Party Live!, which was part of the PBS My Music series.
