Russell Thompkins Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Russell Thompkins Jr.
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Russell in Atlantic City in 2017
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Russell Allen Thompkins Jr. |
| Born | March 21, 1951 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, disco |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1968–present |
Russell Allen Thompkins Jr. was born on March 21, 1951. He is a famous American soul singer. He is best known as the first lead singer of the music group The Stylistics. People loved his amazing high voice, which could reach very high notes. With Russell as their lead singer, The Stylistics had many hit songs. They had 12 songs that reached the Top 10 on the Billboard R&B charts. They also had 5 "gold" songs, meaning they sold a lot of copies, between 1971 and 1974.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Russell Thompkins Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His dad first introduced him to music. Russell started singing formally when he was in school. During high school, he was part of a local singing group called the Monarchs. His group won a talent show against another group called the Percussions. This show was held at Benjamin Franklin High School.
Soon after, both groups broke up. But some members decided to form a new group. Russell Thompkins Jr., James Smith, and Airrion Love from the Monarchs joined with James Dunn and Herbie Murrell from the Percussions. Together, they created a new group called The Stylistics in 1968.
Russell Thompkins Jr.'s Music Career
In 1970, The Stylistics recorded a song called "You're a Big Girl Now." This song quickly became popular in their local area. A bigger record company, Avco Records, then signed The Stylistics. The song eventually reached number seven on the R&B music charts in early 1971.
Avco Records asked a record producer named Thom Bell to work with the group. When The Stylistics sang for Thom Bell, he wasn't very impressed at first. However, he saw the great potential in Russell Thompkins Jr.'s high voice. So, he agreed to produce their music. Thom Bell decided to make Russell's voice the main focus of the group's sound. On most of their hit songs, Russell would sing almost by himself.
Big Hits with The Stylistics
From 1971 to 1974, The Stylistics had a lot of success. They had twelve U.S. R&B top ten hits in a row. They also had five top ten pop hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Some of their famous songs include "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)," "You Are Everything," "Betcha by Golly, Wow," "Break Up to Make Up," and "You Make Me Feel Brand New."
Russell Thompkins Jr. was the lead singer on all these songs. Most of them were written by Thom Bell and lyricist Linda Creed. The song "You Make Me Feel Brand New" was a big hit in 1974. It was also sung by group member Airrion Love.
Changes and New Paths
Thom Bell stopped working with The Stylistics in 1974. This made it harder for the group to have big hits in the U.S. However, in 1975, they released a successful early disco song called "Hey, Girl, Come and Get It." After 1976, their popularity in the U.S. went down. They only appeared on the R&B charts sometimes over the next twenty years.
But as their success in the U.S. slowed down, their popularity grew in Europe. They became very popular in the United Kingdom. A different sound, created by Van McCoy and Hugo & Luigi, gave them a UK No. 1 hit in 1975. This song was called "Can't Give You Anything (But My Love)."
In 2000, Russell Thompkins Jr. decided to leave The Stylistics. He later said he wished he had left even earlier. After leaving the group, Russell studied music more formally. He also learned how to play the piano.
Solo Work and New Groups
In 2002, Russell released his own solo album. It was called A Matter of Style. This album included cover versions of classic songs. One was "Embraceable You" by George and Ira Gershwin. Another was "Jealousy," a song originally sung by Dionne Warwick.
In 2004, Russell Thompkins Jr. started a new group. He called it Russell Thompkins Jr. and the New Stylistics. The other members were Raymond Johnson, James Ranton, and Jonathan Buckson. They still perform and tour today. You can see them on the DVD Old School Soul Party Live!, which is part of the PBS My Music series. James Ranton later left the group for health reasons. The group continues to perform as a trio.
In 2007, Russell teamed up with two other original lead singers. They were Ted Mills from Blue Magic and William Hart from The Delfonics. They recorded an album together called "All The Way From Philadelphia." They released it under the name The 3 Tenors of Soul.
As of 2022, Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics are still performing. They tour in the United States and overseas. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Russell Thompkins Jr. as number 142 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Discography
With The Stylistics
For more information, see: The Stylistics discography
Other Projects
- Russell Thompkins Jr.: Matter of Style - 2002 (album)
- The 3 Tenors Of Soul: All The Way From Philadelphia - 2007 (album)
- Russel Thompkins Jr.: Between Love Songs - 2020 (album)
- Russ Thompkins Jr.: Riding Solo - 2024 (album)
