The Whispers Explained

The Whispers
Background:	group_or_band
Origin:	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years Active:	1963–present
Label:	Soul Clock Janus Solar Capitol
Current Members:	Wallace Scott Walter Scott Leaveil Degree
Past Members:	Marcus Hutson Gordy Harmon Nicholas Caldwell

The Whispers are an American vocal group from Los Angeles, California. Scoring hit records since the late 1960s, they are best known for their two number-one R&B singles, "And the Beat Goes On" in 1979 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 1 spot.^[2] They have earned two platinum and five gold albums by the RIAA.^[3]

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.^[4] 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.

After a series of singles on Los Angeles label, Dore,^[4] the group signed to a small L.A. 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-1970s.

In 1978, the group signed to Dick Griffey's SOLAR Records. 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 the UK, "And the Beat Goes On" peaked at #2 and "It's a Love Thing" became their second top 10 in 1981 peaking at #9.^[5] In 1987, their song "Rock Steady" reached #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the US Cash Box Top 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.^[6]

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, at the age of 71.^[7]

Founding member Gordy Harmon died at his home in Los Angeles on January 5, 2023, at the age of 79.^[8]

Awards and recognition

• March 18, 1980 – RIAA Gold Record for the single "And the Beat Goes On".^[9]
• March 18, 1980 – The Whispers earned RIAA Gold & Platinum status for their album, "The Whispers".^[10]
• March 12, 1981 – The Whispers earned a RIAA Gold Album for their recording of "Imagination".^[11]
• November 9, 1982 – The album "Love Is Where You Find It" became their third RIAA Gold Album.^[10]
• July 20, 1987 – The Whispers received a RIAA Gold Album for their recording of, "Just Gets Better with Time".^[11]
• February 9, 1988 – The Whispers received a RIAA Platinum Album for their recording of "Just Gets Better with Time".^[12]
• 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 an NAACP Image Award.
• 2003 – The Whispers were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.^[13]
• 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.^[14]
• 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.^[15]
• 2012 – Soul Music Hall Of Fame Award.^[16]
• 2013 – Presented a Lifetime Achievement Award for their 50 years in the Music Industry on the Soul Train Cruise.^[17]
• 2014 – The Whispers were inducted into the Official R&B Music Hall of Fame.

Band members and directors

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 23 May 2000) (1963–1992)
• Gordy Harmon (born 1943; died January 5, 2023, Los Angeles, California) (1963–1973)
• Nicholas Caldwell (born April 5, 1944, Loma Linda, California; died January 5, 2016, San Francisco, California)^[18] (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.^[19]
• Fulton L. Tashombe – 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.^[20]

Supporting musicians

• Emilio Conesa – guitar
• John Valentino – saxophone
• Dewayne Sweet – keyboards
• Richard Aguon – drums
• Magic Mendez – producer, bass, keyboards, background vocals
• Harmony Blackwell – playback engineer, background vocals, interpretive dance
• Aya Iwata – keyboards
• Timothy Gant - Keyboards

Discography

See main article: The Whispers discography.

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

External links

• • • • The Whispers 2009 Audio Interview at Soulinterviews.com
• The Whispers: A History in Pictures – from the Soulwalking UK website

Notes and References

1. The Whispers Singles . Billboard . 23 October 2020.
2. The Whispers Albums . Billboard . 23 October 2020.
3. Web site: Gold & Platinum The Whispers . RIAA . 23 October 2020.
4. Web site: Dahl. Bill. The Whispers Biography. AllMusic. 28 July 2022.
5. Web site: UK Charts > The Whispers. Official Charts Company. 26 September 2016.
6. US Charts > The Whispers. Billboard. 26 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160316062411/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-whispers-mn0000482787/awards. March 16, 2016.
7. Gail Mitchell . Whispers Co-Founder Nicholas Caldwell Dies At 71 . Billboard . 6 January 2016 . 26 February 2016.
8. News: Gordy Harmon, Founding Member of The Whispers, Dead at 79 . 8 January 2023 . Get Up! . 6 January 2023.
9. Web site: Gold Single . RIAA . 23 October 2020.
10. Web site: Gold & Platinum Album . RIAA . 23 October 2020.
11. Web site: Gold Album . RIAA . 23 October 2020.
12. Web site: Platinum Album . RIAA . 23 October 2020.
13. Web site: The Whispers – Inductees – The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation. vocalgroup.org. 8 November 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927040824/http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_whispers.html. 27 September 2007. dead.
14. Web site: MixLine Feature: The Doobies, The Whispers Honored at S.F. Chapter of the Recording Academy's 2005 Governors Awards . Mixonline . 23 October 2020 . 16 June 2005.
15. Web site: 20th Annual Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Awards Show • Bonnie's Pride and Joy . Bonnie's Pride and Joy . 23 October 2020 . 12 September 2008.
16. Web site: SoulMusic.com . https://archive.today/20130111093932/http://www.soulmusic.com/halloffame . dead . 2013-01-11 . archive.is . 23 October 2020 . 11 January 2013.
17. Web site: The Whispers and Tony Cornelius Plan a "Family Reunion" at A Wine Tasting… Soul Train Cruise . soultraincruise.com . October 30, 2015 . 23 October 2020 . en.
18. Web site: We Remember: Nick Caldwell of the Whispers Dies at 71. EuroWeb. January 6, 2016 . 6 January 2016.
19. Web site: R.I.P. Grady Wilkins, musical director of the Whispers | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews . December 20, 2013 . SoulTracks. 26 February 2016.
20. Tashombe: Celebrating the Life of Fulton L. Tashombe – YouTube Video – Facebook, R.I.P