The Whispers
The Whispers are an American group from Los Angeles, California, who have scored hit records since the late 1960s. They are best known for their two number one R&B singles, "And the Beat Goes On" in 1980 and "Rock Steady" in 1987. The Whispers scored 15 top ten R&B singles,[1] and 8 top ten R&B albums with two of them, "The Whispers" and "Love Is Where You Find It" reaching the No. 1 spot.[2] They have earned two platinum and five gold albums by the RIAA.[3]
The Whispers | |
|---|---|
 The Whispers at Gardner's Basin in Atlantic City on August 24, 2013 (Photo by Derek K Cason) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Boogie, soul, funk |
| Years active | 1963–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) |
Career
The Whispers formed in 1963 in Watts, California. The original members included identical 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.
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 1979/80 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 on May 23, 2000, they vowed to never replace him and started performing as a quartet.
Jerry McNeil resigned from his position as the keyboardist in the latter part of 1993 in order to spend more time with his family. In 2014, The Whispers were 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]
Awards and recognition
- March 18, 1980 - RIAA Gold Record for the single "And The Beat Goes On".[5]
- March 18, 1980 - The Whispers earned RIAA Gold & Platinum status for their album, "The Whispers".[6]
- March 12, 1981 - The Whispers earned a RIAA Gold Album for their recording of "Imagination".[7]
- November 9, 1982 - The album, "Love Is Where You Find It" became their third RIAA Gold Album.[8]
- July 20, 1987 - The Whispers received a RIAA Gold Album for their recording of, "Just Gets Better With Time".[9]
- February 9, 1988 - The Whispers received a RIAA Platinum Album for their recording of, "Just Gets Better With Time".[10]
- May 24, 1991 - The Whispers received a RIAA Gold Album for their recording of, "More Of The Night".[11]
- 2002 - The Whispers were honored with aNAACP Image Award.
- 2003 - The Whispers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame.[12]
- 2005 - The San Francisco Chapter of the Grammy Awards presented the Whispers with the prestigious Governors Award, the highest honor bestowed by an Academy Chapter. [13]
- 2007 - The Whispers were presented with an American Black Music Award in Las Vegas.
- 2008 - The Whispers were winners of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's prestigious Pioneer Award.[14]
- 2012 - Soul Music Hall Of Fame Award.[15]
- 2013 - Presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for their 50 years in the Music Industry on The Soul Train Cruise.[16]
- 2014 - The Whispers were inducted into the The Official R&B Music Hall of Fame.
Personnel
Current members
- Wallace "Scotty" Scott (born September 23, 1943, Fort Worth, Texas) (1963–present)
- Walter Scott (born September 23, 1943, Fort Worth, Texas) (1963–present)
- Leaveil Degree (born July 31, 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana) (1973–present)
Former members
- Marcus Hutson (born January 8, 1943, St Louis, Missouri, died May 23, 2000) (1963-1992)
- Gordy Harmon (1963-1973)
- Nicholas Caldwell (born April 5, 1944, Loma Linda, California, died January 5, 2016 San Francisco, California)[17] (1963-2016)
Former musical directors
- 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.[18]
- Fulton L. Tashombe - renowned musician, vocalist, composer, arranger, producer, sound engineer, music educator, actor, keyboardist and musical director of Headlights. Born January 7, 1950 in San Francisco, California and died October 14, 2017.[19]
Supporting musicians
- Emilio Conesa — guitar
- John Valentino — saxophone
- Dewayne Sweet — keyboards
- Reggie Rugley — keyboards, programming
- Magic Mendez - producer, keyboards, bass, background vocals
- Gino Blacknell - keyboards, bass
- Harmony Blackwell - programming, background vocals
- Richard Aguan - Drums
- Aya Iwata - keyboards
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Record label | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [20] |
US R&B/HH [20] |
CAN [21] |
UK [22] | |||||||||||
| 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 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1982 | Love Is Where You Find It | 35 | 1 | — | — |
| ||||||||
| 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/HH | ||||
| 2007 | Live from Las Vegas | — | — | Satin Tie | |
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [20] |
US R&B/HH [20] | |||||||||||||
| 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
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BE (FLA) [24] |
FRA [25][26] |
IRE [27] |
NL [28] |
NZ [29] |
UK [22] |
US [30] |
US R&B/HH [31] |
US A/C [32] |
US Dan [33] | ||
| 1964 | "It Only Hurts for a Little While" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1965 | "Never Again" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "The Dip" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "As I Sit Here" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Doctor Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1966 | "I Was Born When You Kissed Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Take a Lesson From the Teacher" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1967 | "You Got a Man on Your Hands" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Needle in a Haystack" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1968 | "Great Day" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1969 | "I Was Born When You Kissed Me" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "The Time Will Come" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | — | |
| "What Will I Do" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1970 | "Planets of Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | 6 | — | — | |
| "I'm the One" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "There's a Love for Everyone" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 116 | 31 | — | — | |
| 1971 | "Your Love Is So Doggone Good" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 93 | 19 | — | — |
| "Where Have You Been" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Can't Help But Love You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 114[34] | 35 | — | — |
| "I Only Meant to Wet My Feet" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | — | — | |
| "Somebody Loves You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 94 | 45 | — | — | |
| 1973 | "P.O.W. - M.I.A. (Prisoners Of War - Missing In Action)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Feel Like Comin' Home" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "A Mother for My Children" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 92 | 32 | — | — | |
| 1974 | "Bingo" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | — | — |
| "What More Can a Girl Ask For?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | — | |
| "Where There Is Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1975 | "All I Ever Do (Is Dream of You)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Give a Little Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "In Love Forever" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | — | — | |
| 1976 | "One for the Money (Part 1)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | 10 | — | 22 |
| "Living Together (In Sin)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 101[35] | 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 | "(You're A) Special Part of My Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "(Let's Go) All the Way" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 101[36] | 10 | — | — | |
| "(Olivia) Lost and Turned Out" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | — | — | |
| "Happy Holidays to You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1979 | "Can't Do without Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | — | — |
| "Homemade Lovin'" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 66 | — | — | |
| "A Song for Donny" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — | |
| 1980 | "And the Beat Goes On" | 30 | 12 | 14 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 1 | — | 1 |
| "Lady" | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | 28 | 3 | 40 | — | |
| "My Girl" | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Out the Box" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Imagination" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "It's a Love Thing" | 9 | 10 | 17 | 11 | — | 9 | 28 | 2 | — | 4 |
| "I Can Make It Better" | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | 105[37] | 40 | — | ||
| "This Kind of Lovin'" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | 20 | |
| "I'm the One for You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "In the Raw" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 103[38] | 8 | — | 8 |
| "Emergency" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | — | |
| "Love is Where You Find It" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | "Tonight" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 84 | 4 | — | 18 |
| "Keep on Lovin' Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | ||
| "This Time" | — | — | — | — | — | 81 | 110 | 32 | — | — | |
| 1984 | "Contagious" | 33 | — | — | — | — | 56 | 105[39] | 10 | — | 59 |
| 1985 | "Some Kinda Lover" | — | — | — | — | — | 91 | 106[40] | 17 | — | — |
| "Don't Keep Me Waiting" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | — | |
| "Hello Stranger" (with Carrie Lucas) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | |
| 1987 | "And the Beat Goes On" (re-release) | 26 | 39 | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | — |
| "Rock Steady" | — | — | — | 45 | — | 38 | 7 | 1 | 49 | — | |
| "Special F/X" | — | — | — | — | — | 69 | — | — | — | — | |
| "Just Gets Better with Time" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | |
| "In the Mood" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | — | |
| 1988 | "No Pain, No Gain" | — | — | — | — | — | 81 | — | 74 | — | — |
| 1990 | "Innocent" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | 3 | — | — |
| "My Heart Your Heart" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | |
| "Mind Blowing" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Give It to Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 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 | "I'm Gonna Make You My Wife" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Caravan of Love" (with Russ Freeman & the Rippingtons) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 89 | — | — | |
| 1997 | "My, My, My" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 73 | — | — |
| 2002 | "Where There Is Love" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||
See also
References
- "The Whispers Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "The Whispers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Gold & Platinum The Whispers". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- Gail Mitchell (2016-01-06). "Whispers Co-Founder Nicholas Caldwell Dies At 71". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- "Gold Single". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Gold & Platinum Album". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Gold Album". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Gold & Platinum Album". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Gold Album". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Platinum Album". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "Gold Album". RIAA. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "The Whispers - Inductees - The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation". vocalgroup.org. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-11-08.
- "MixLine Feature: The Doobies, The Whispers Honored at S.F. Chapter of the Recording Academy's 2005 Governors Awards". Mixonline. 16 June 2005. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "20th Annual Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Awards Show • Bonnie's Pride and Joy". Bonnie's Pride and Joy. 12 September 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "SoulMusic.com". archive.is. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "The Whispers and Tony Cornelius Plan a "Family Reunion" at A Wine Tasting… | Soul Train Cruise". soultraincruise.com. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- "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.
- Tashombe: Celebrating the Life of Fulton L. Tashombe - YouTube Video - Facebook, R.I.P
- "US Charts > The Whispers". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- "CAN Charts > The Whispers". RPM. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- "UK Charts > The Whispers". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- "US Certifications > The Whispers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- "ultratop.be - ULTRATOP BELGIAN CHARTS". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque Artiste commençant par W". www.infodisc.fr. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "lescharts.com - Les charts français". lescharts.com. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "The Whispers". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "The Whispers". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "The Whispers". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "The Whispers". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
- "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. 19 February 1972. p. 50. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. 6 November 1976. p. 24. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. 22 July 1978. p. 32. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. 23 May 1981. p. 31. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. 27 February 1982. p. 64. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- "Bubbling Under" (PDF). Billboard. 19 January 1985. p. 69. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- "Bubbling Under" (PDF). Billboard. 13 April 1984. p. 73. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
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
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