Stephanie Mills and The Whispers

Stephanie Mills was in the music business from a very young age, performing in the Broadway play, “Maggie Flynn,” at the age of nine. That same year, she won first prize at New York’s Apollo Theater at the ‘Amateur Hour’ competition, which led to her being chosen as the opening act for the Isley Brothers. Her debut album, “Moving in the Right Direction,” for ABC Records was released in 1974. Her rich, soulful voice won her the role as Dorothy in the hit Broadway production, “The Wiz,” in 1975, whom she performed with for a number of years.

Mills moved to Motown in 1976, releasing her second album, “For the First Time,” which was written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The album was full of sweet, tender songs showcasing her emotive voice. In 1978, Mills moved labels again to 20th Century Records, releasing “Watcha Gonna Do with my Lovin’” which went Gold and peaked at number 12 in the R&B charts and number 22 in the Billboard 200 in 1979. Her next releases, “Sweet Sensation” and “Stephanie” kept Mills’ music in the Top 40, receiving significant airplay with tracks such as “Two Hearts,” a duet with Teddy Pendergrass and “Don’t Stop Doin’ What Cha Do.”

Mills continued to have hit albums and singles throughout the 80s, having moved to MCA Records in 1983. Hits include “I have Learned to Respect the Power of love” (1985) spent two weeks at the R&B chart’s top spot, whereas “I Feel Good All Over” (1987) bettered that record with three weeks spent at number one. In the 90s, her recorded output lessened and also moved towards a more gospel-influenced sound, with her 1995 record, “Personal Inspirations.” Mills made a comeback in 2008, having recorded songs with BeBe Winans and DMX, as well as her independently released record, “Born For This” in 2004. She was also given the opportunity to display her talents to Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, when she performed in front of him at the Yankee Stadium in New York, USA. In 2012, she released a Christmas themed single, “So In Love This Christmas,” available as a download on ITunes.

The Whispers came together in 1964, in California, and they were made up of twin brothers Wallace and Walter Scott. Wallace Scott was the voice of the band and was the lead singer on the vast majority of their hits. The Whispers were officially hit makers with the height of their fame being the 1970s and 1980s. Their first breakthrough into Top 40 was the song “Rock Steady”, which made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it to number 7.

They are a band that originally started their career on a major label, but decided to downsize to a smaller label based in Los Angeles called Soul Clock. They were lead by Ron Carson, who became responsible for their huge hit, “Seem Like I Got To Do Wrong” in 1970. Moving again to a larger label called Janus, they decided to stick to working with Carson; however, during the height of their career the band was signed to SOLAR Records who were led by Dick Griffey. Much later in their career they started their own label called Satin Tie Productions, and released an album called “For Your Ears Only”.

They have been responsible for some very memorable performances indeed such as their performance of the National Anthem at the 1989 World Series.

It was in 2014, that The Whispers were inducted into The R&B Music Hall of Fame. The “And the Beat Goes On” singers still perform to this day.