The Whispers
| The Whispers | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Boogie, soul, funk |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels |
Soul Clock Janus Solar Capitol |
| Associated acts | Collage |
| Website |
thewhispers |
| Members |
Wallace Scott Walter Scott Leaveil Degree |
| Past members |
Marcus Hutson (deceased) Gordy Harmon Nicholas Caldwell (deceased) |
The Whispers are an American group from Los Angeles, California, who have scored hit records since the late 1960s. The Whispers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003,[1] and were winners of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award in 2008.[2] By popular vote, the group was inducted into The SoulMusic Hall Of Fame at SoulMusic.com in December 2012.[3]
Career
The Whispers formed in 1964 in Watts, California. The original members included twin brothers Wallace "Scotty" and Walter Scott, along with Gordy Harmon, Marcus Hutson, and Nicholas Caldwell. After being invited to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1966 by Sly Stone, the group relocated to that area where they began developing a reputation as a show-stopping live act. Walter Scott was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War during that period for eighteen months, returning to the group in 1969 after discharge. After Harmon injured his larynx in a driving accident in 1973, he was replaced by former Friends of Distinction member Leaveil Degree. Scotty Scott's fluid, melodic voice is featured on virtually all of their hits.
The group scored many hits on the R&B and Billboard Hot 100 charts throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and they hit #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1980 with "And the Beat Goes On / "Can You Do the Boogie" / "Out the Box". In 1987, they enjoyed a brief tenure in the Top 10 when "Rock Steady" became their first Top 10 success on the Hot 100, reaching #7, while also capturing the #1 spot on the R&B chart.
After a series of singles on Los Angeles label, Dore, the group signed to a small LA label, Soul Clock, run by producer Ron Carson, who was responsible for their breakthrough hit, "Seems Like I Got To Do Wrong" in 1970. Moving to the larger New York-based Janus label, they continued to be produced by Carson, before he sold all of his recordings to Janus with the group then recording mainly in Philadelphia in the mid '70s. Since that period, most of their studio work has been done in Los Angeles. Their most successful period was in the 1980s with SOLAR Records (Sound Of Los Angeles Records), which was operated by their manager at the time, Dick Griffey. The Whispers later established their own production company, Satin Tie Productions, through which they released their independent 2006 album For Your Ears Only.
The group opened Game 2 of the 1989 World Series at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with their rendition of the National Anthem.
Marcus Hutson left the group in 1992 due to prostate cancer. According to the Whispers' website, when Hutson died of it in 2000, they vowed to never replace him and started performing as a quartet.
Jerry McNeil resigned his position as keyboardist in the latter part of 1993 in order to spend more time with his family. In 2014, The Whispers was inducted into The Official R&B Music Hall of Fame.
The Philadelphia soul songwriter team Allan Felder, Norman Harris, Bunny Sigler, and Ronnie Baker provided several of The Whispers' songs including "A Mother for My Children" and "Bingo".
Nicholas Caldwell died of congestive heart failure at his San Francisco home on January 5, 2016.[4]
Personnel
Current members
- Wallace "Scotty" Scott (born September 23, 1943, Fort Worth, Texas) (1964–present)
- Walter Scott (born September 23, 1943, Fort Worth, Texas) (1964–present)
- Leaveil Degree (born July 31, 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana) (1973–present)
Former members
- Marcus Hutson (born January 8, 1943, St Louis, Missouri, died 2000) (1964-1992)
- Gordy Harmon (1964-1973)
- Nicholas Caldwell (born April 5, 1944, Loma Linda, California; died January 5, 2016)[5] (1964-2016)
Former musical director
- Grady "G" Wilkins Jr— musician, writer, producer, vocalist, keyboardist and musical director of the whispers. Born December 30, 1955 in San Francisco, California and died December 19, 2013.[6]
Supporting musicians
- Emilio Conesa — guitar
- John Valentino — saxophone
- Jamie Brewer — bass
- Melvin Coleman — bass
- Dewayne Sweet — keyboards
- Reggie Rugley — keyboards, programming
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
CAN [8] |
UK [9] | |||||||||||
| 1970 | The Whispers | — | — | — | — | Soul Clock | ||||||||
| 1972 | The Whispers' Love Story | 186 | 34 | — | — | Janus | ||||||||
| Life and Breath | — | 44 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1973 | Planets of Life | — | 48 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1974 | Bingo | — | 40 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1976 | One for the Money | 189 | 40 | — | — | Soul Train | ||||||||
| 1977 | Open Up Your Love | 65 | 23 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1978 | Headlights | 77 | 22 | 80 | — | SOLAR | ||||||||
| 1979 | Whisper in Your Ear | 146 | 28 | — | — | |||||||||
| Happy Holidays to You | 201 | 50 | — | — | ||||||||||
| The Whispers | 6 | 1 | — | — |
| |||||||||
| 1980 | Imagination | 23 | 3 | — | 42 |
| ||||||||
| 1981 | This Kind of Lovin' | 100 | 15 | — | — | |||||||||
| Love Is Where You Find It | 35 | 1 | — | — |
| |||||||||
| 1982 | Happy Holidays to You (re-release) | — | 58 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1983 | Love for Love | 37 | 2 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1984 | So Good | 88 | 8 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1987 | Just Gets Better with Time | 22 | 3 | — | 63 |
| ||||||||
| 1990 | More of the Night | 83 | 8 | — | — |
|
Capitol | |||||||
| 1994 | Christmas Moments | — | 42 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1995 | Toast to the Ladies | 92 | 8 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1997 | Songbook, Vol. 1: The Songs of Babyface | — | 27 | — | — | Interscope | ||||||||
| 2006 | For Your Ears Only | — | 88 | — | — | Satin Tie | ||||||||
| 2009 | Thankful | 172 | 25 | — | — | Kingdom | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Live albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||||
| 2007 | Live from Las Vegas | — | — | Satin Tie | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] | |||||||||||||
| 1975 | Greatest Hits | — | 48 | Janus | ||||||||||
| 1982 | The Best of the Whispers | 180 | — | SOLAR | ||||||||||
| 1989 | Vintage Whispers | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1990 | In the Mood | — | — | |||||||||||
| Greatest Hits | — | — | Unidisc | |||||||||||
| 1994 | 30th Anniversary Anthology | — | — | Sequel | ||||||||||
| 1996 | Greatest Slow Jams, Vol. 1 | — | 87 | SOLAR | ||||||||||
| 1997 | Greatest Hits | — | 89 | |||||||||||
| 2000 | The Best of the Whispers | — | — | EMI-Capitol | ||||||||||
| 2001 | Early Gold & New Spins | — | — | Purple Pyramid | ||||||||||
| Greatest Slow Jams, Vol. 2 | — | — | SOLAR | |||||||||||
| 2002 | Best of the Whispers | — | — | BMG Int'l | ||||||||||
| 2003 | Anthology | — | — | The Right Stuff | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles (non - comprehensive)
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
US A/C [7] |
US Dan [7] |
UK [9] | ||||||||||
| 1969 | "The Time Will Come" | — | 19 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1970 | "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong" | 50 | 6 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "There's a Love for Everyone" | 116 | 31 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1971 | "Your Love Is So Doggone Good" | 93 | 19 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1972 | "Can't Help But Love You" | 114 | 35 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "I Only Meant to Wet My Feet" | — | 27 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Somebody Loves You" | 94 | 45 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1974 | "A Mother for My Children" | 92 | 32 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Bingo" | — | 40 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "What More Can a Girl Ask For?" | — | 60 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Where There Is Love" | — | — | — | 15 | — | |||||||||
| 1975 | "In Love Forever" | — | 40 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1976 | "One for the Money (Part 1)" | 88 | 10 | — | 4 | — | ||||||||
| "Living Together (In Sin)" | 101 | 21 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1977 | "You're Only as Good as You Think You Are" | — | 91 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Make It with You" | 94 | 10 | — | 16 | — | |||||||||
| "I'm Gonna Make You My Wife" | — | 54 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1978 | "(Let's Go) All the Way" | 101 | 10 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "(Olivia) Lost and Turned Out" | — | 13 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1979 | "Can't Do without Love" | — | 43 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Homemade Lovin'" | — | 66 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "A Song for Donny" | — | 21 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1980 | "And the Beat Goes On" | 19 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | ||||||||
| "Lady" | 28 | 3 | 40 | — | 55 | |||||||||
| "My Girl" | — | — | — | — | 26 | |||||||||
| 1981 | "It's a Love Thing" | 28 | 2 | — | 4 | 9 | ||||||||
| "I Can Make It Better" | 105 | 40 | — | 44 | ||||||||||
| "This Kind of Lovin'" | — | 17 | — | 20 | — | |||||||||
| 1982 | "In the Raw" | 103 | 8 | — | 8 | — | ||||||||
| "Emergency" | — | 22 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1983 | "Tonight" | 84 | 4 | — | 18 | — | ||||||||
| "Keep on Lovin' Me" | — | 4 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "This Time" | 110 | 32 | — | — | 81 | |||||||||
| 1984 | "Contagious" | 105 | 10 | — | 59 | 56 | ||||||||
| 1985 | "Some Kinda Lover" | 106 | 17 | — | — | 91 | ||||||||
| "Don't Keep Me Waiting" | — | 60 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Hello Stranger" (with Carrie Lucas) | — | 20 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1987 | "And the Beat Goes On" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | 45 | ||||||||
| "Rock Steady" | 7 | 1 | 49 | — | 38 | |||||||||
| "Special F/X" | — | — | — | — | 69 | |||||||||
| "Just Gets Better with Time" | — | 12 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "In the Mood" | — | 16 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1988 | "No Pain, No Gain" | — | 74 | — | — | 81 | ||||||||
| 1990 | "Innocent" | 55 | 3 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "My Heart Your Heart" | — | 4 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1991 | "Is It Good to You" | — | 7 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "I Want 2B the 1 4U" | — | 58 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1995 | "Make Sweet Love to Me" | — | 41 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Come on Home" | — | 60 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 1996 | "Caravan of Love" (with Russ Freeman & the Rippingtons) | — | 89 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1997 | "My, My, My" | — | 73 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Awards and recognition
The Whispers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.
The Whispers were winners of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's prestigious Pioneer Award in 2008.
SoulMusic Hall Of Fame at SoulMusic.com
- Inducted: Group Or Duo* (December 2012)
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
- ↑ "The Whispers - Inductees - The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation". vocalgroup.org.
- ↑ "Rhythm & Blues Foundation - Preserving America's Soul". rhythm-n-blues.org.
- ↑ "SoulMusic.com". soulmusic.com.
- ↑ Gail Mitchell (2016-01-06). "Whispers Co-Founder Nicholas Caldwell Dies At 71". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ↑ "We Remember: Nick Caldwell of the Whispers Dies at 71", EuroWeb. Retrieved 6 January 2016
- ↑ "R.I.P. Grady Wilkins, musical director of the Whispers | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews". SoulTracks. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "US Charts > The Whispers". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ↑ "CAN Charts > The Whispers". RPM. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- 1 2 "UK Charts > The Whispers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "US Certifications > The Whispers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
External links
- Official website
- The Whispers at AllMusic
- The Whispers discography at Discogs
- The Whispers 2009 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
- The Whispers: A History in Pictures - from the Soulwalking U.K. website