The Stylistics bring old school R&B to Performing Arts Center

With a whopping 12 R&B Top Ten U.S. hits in the ’70s, Philadelphia soulsters The Stylistics hit the big time with songs like “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart),” “You Are Everything” and “Betcha By Golly, Wow,” to name just a few.

The “big time” may have receded for The Stylistics in recent years, as listeners shifted to more modern R&B/hip-hop fusions, but a new appreciation for the retro group has surfaced. This has put them back on their tour bus, which will be making a Stylistic stop at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on July 3.

The Stylistics were actually spawned from the dissolving of two other Philly groups.

“I was part of The Monarchs, and Herbie (Murrell) was part of The Percussions,” The Stylistics’ Airrion Love explained in a recent interview. “When we graduated high school, members from each group either went to college or joined the military. The Monarchs were left with three singers and a drummer; The Percussions were left with a guitarist, a bass player and two singers. Our manager suggested we combine the two groups.”

Mr. Love and Mr. Murrell, along with The Percussions’ James Dunn and The Monarchs’ Russell Thompkins Jr. and James Smith, would make up the first incarnation of The Stylistics in 1968. Producer Thom Bell was another crucial collaborator.

“Thom was instrumental in establishing the Stylistics sound,” Mr. Love said. “He didn’t teach us how to sing, but he knew our voices and picked songs that would work.”

What worked for The Stylistics was what would soon become the Philly Sound or Philly Soul, a music genre characterized by string-and-horn laden instrumentals, funk/R&B elements, and smooth vocals. Philly Soul itself, Mr. Love explained, was influenced by the Detroit music scene.

“The Motown sound was popular,” he said, “so being a five-member vocal group, we patterned ourselves after The Temptations. When the ’70s rolled around, the Philadelphia Sound became the new Motown.”

Things would peak for the group in the mid-’70s, after which Mr. Bell exited the project. After sifting through a variety of producers trying to fill that void, they settled on the pop sound of New York City producing duo Hugo and Luigi, which increased the group’s popularity in Europe. Chart hits overseas followed, as did a part in the movie version of “Hair.” The Stylistics would carry on until their lead singer, Mr. Thompkins Jr., departed.

“Russell left the Stylistics in April 2000,” Mr. Love said. “Like a bad marriage, we saw all the signs five years before it happened. One night he walked off stage, and as he passed our manager he said ‘that’s it, that was my last show.’”

The Stylistics still didn’t give up. They brought in singer Eban Brown to cover lead vocals, and added tenor Van Fields, rounding out what still stands as the current lineup with Mr. Murrell and, of course, Mr. Love. But the camaraderie between Mr. Thompkins Jr. and the remaining Stylistics is long gone.

“Ten years later, I haven’t talked to or seen Russell,” Mr. Love said matter-of-factly.

Today’s Stylistics, and the songs that made them famous, are doing quite well, thank you—not only with this current tour, but also with various homages to them recorded by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Living Colour, Jamiroquai, and Aaron Neville, among others. All have the group’s stamp of approval.

“Any time any artist samples or records Stylistics music, that is the highest form of flattery,” Mr. Love said with evident pride, “I’m a big fan of Mary J. and Jamiroquai, and wish it was possible do something together with Mary J. one day.”

With the Stylistics back out in the public eye, who knows what could happen? One thing Mr. Love does know is that he’s aiming to please with the set list the group is planning for the Westhampton Beach show.

“I know how it is when you go to hear your favorite act and you’re bombarded with new material,” Mr. Love says, “we don’t do that. We do have a new CD (“That Same Way,” 2010) and will probably showcase the title track, but everything else will be the songs that the Stylistics are noted for, the songs that people want to hear.”

The Stylistics will perform at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday, July 3, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $65, $80 or $95, available online at whbpac.org, in person at the Arts Center at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach, or by telephoning the PAC box office at 631-288-1500. The box office is now open seven days a week from noon to 8 p.m. and later on show or film nights.