American soul group The Stylistics, from Philadelphia, had their best chart years in the 1970s. Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn were the vocalists on their 1968 lineup.

Are there any original members of The Stylistics?

The Percussions and The Monarchs, two Philadelphia bands, founded The Stylistics. James Dunn and Herb Murrell came from the Percussions, while Airrion Love, James Smith, and Russell Thompkins Jr. were Monarchs.

Ballads produced by Thom Bell and featuring Russell Thompkins Jr.’s falsetto were the Stylistics’ biggest hits. The group had twelve straight R&B top ten hits in the early 1970s, including “Stop, Look, Listen,” “You Are Everything,” “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” “I’m Stone in Love with You,” “Break Up to Make Up,” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” which resulted in five gold singles and three gold albums for the group.

The only two original members that are still singing with The Stylistics are Herbert Murrell and Airrion Love. Friends since elementary school, Airrion and Herb have maintained the music and continue to perform worldwide. Russell Thompkins Jr., the band’s former lead singer, quit in 2000.

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