Russell Thompkins, Jr.
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Russell Thompkins, Jr.
Russell Allen Thompkins Jr. (born March 21, 1951) is an American soul singer. Best known as the original lead singer of the vocal group The Stylistics and noted for his high tenor, countertenor, and falsetto vocals. With Russell as lead singer, The Stylistics had 12 straight Top 10 Billboard R&B singles, and 5 gold singles from 1971 through 1974. Early Years Born in Philadelphia, Thompkins was introduced to music by his father and started singing formally in school. During high school, Thompkins was a member of a local vocal group called the Monarchs who defeated another group called the Percussions in a talent show at Benjamin Franklin High School. Both groups disbanded shortly thereafter. Their remaining members, Thompkins, James Smith, and Airrion Love from The Monarchs, and James Dunn and Herbie Murrell from the Percussions, joined to form a new group called The Stylistics in 1968.Jackson, John A (2004). ''A House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul''. USA: ...
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Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1854, the city has been coextensive with Philadelphia County, the most populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the Delaware Valley, the nation's seventh-largest and one of world's largest metropolitan regions, with 6.245 million residents . The city's population at the 2020 census was 1,603,797, and over 56 million people live within of Philadelphia. Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn, an English Quaker. The city served as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony during the British colonial era and went on to play a historic and vital role as the central meeting place for the nation's founding fathers whose plans and actions in Philadelphia ultimately inspired the American Revolution and the nation's inde ...
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Single (music)
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album. Despite being referred to as a single, in the era of music downloads, singles can include up to as many as three tracks. The biggest digital music distributor, the iTunes Store, accepts as many as three tracks that are less than ten minutes each as a single. Any more than three tracks on a musical release or thirty minutes in total running time is an extended play (EP) or, if over six tracks long, an album. Historically, when mainstream music was purchased via vinyl records, singles would be released double-sided, i.e. there was an A-side and a B-side, on which two songs would appear, one on each si ...
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Chart-topper
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include record sales, the amount of radio airplay, the number of downloads, and the amount of streaming activity. Some charts are specific to a particular musical genre and most to a particular geographical location. The most common period covered by a chart is one week with the chart being printed or broadcast at the end of this time. Summary charts for years and decades are then calculated from their component weekly charts. Component charts have become an increasingly important way to measure the commercial success of individual songs. A common format of radio and television programmes is to run down a music chart. Chart hit A ''chart hit'' is a recording, identified by its inclusion in a chart that uses sales or other criteria to rank popular ...
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is , with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people. The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 170 ...
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Linda Creed
Linda Diane Creed (December 6, 1948 – April 10, 1986), also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. Career Born in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia in December 1948, Creed was active in music at Germantown High School. After graduation, Creed decided against college and devoted her energies to writing and producing music. Her career was launched in 1970 when singer Dusty Springfield recorded her song "Free Girl". That same year, Creed teamed with Bell, a staff writer, producer, and arranger at Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's record label Philadelphia International Records. Their first songwriting collaboration, "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)", became a Top 40 pop hit for the Stylistics, beginning an extended collaboration that also yielded the group's most successful recordings, including "You Are Everything", "Betcha by ...
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Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives from royalties received from original songs. Royalties may range from 50 per cent of the song if it was written primarily with the composer, or less if they wrote the song in collaboration. Songs are automatically copyrighted as soon as they are in tangible forms, such as a recording or sheet music. However, before a song is published or made public, its author or publisher should register it with the Copyright Office at the US Library of Congress to better protect against copyright infringement. Collaborations Collaboration takes different forms. Some composers and lyricists work closely together on a song, with each having an input into both words and tune. Usually a lyricist fills in the words to a tune already fully written ...
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You Make Me Feel Brand New
"You Make Me Feel Brand New" is a 1974 single by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. An R&B ballad, the song was written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed. Background Stylistics tenor Airrion Love starts out the song and then alternates with Russell Thompkins Jr. The song, in a longer five-minute version, had first appeared as a track on the Stylistics' 1973 album, '' Rockin' Roll Baby'', though that version was not released as a single. "You Make Me Feel Brand New" was the fifth track from their 1974 album, ''Let's Put It All Together'' and was released as a single and reached No. 2 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks. Allmusic - Charts & Awards/ref> "You Make Me Feel Brand New" was kept from the No. 1 spot by "Billy Don't Be a Hero" by Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods. In addition, it climbed to No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 14 song for 1974. "You Make Me Feel Brand New" also reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in Augu ...
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Break Up To Make Up
"Break Up to Make Up" was a 1973 hit by the Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics. The song was written by Thom Bell, Linda Creed, and Kenneth Gamble. An R&B ballad, it was the seventh track from their 1972 album ''Round 2'' and was released as a single and reached number 5 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Allmusic - Charts & Awards/ref> It also climbed to number 5 in the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and reached number 34 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1973. The Stylistics' recording sold over one million copies in the US, earning the band a gold disc The award was presented by the RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ... on April 6, 1973. It was the band's fourth gold disc. Chart performance References {{authority control 1973 singles The Stylistics ...
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Betcha By Golly, Wow
"Betcha by Golly, Wow" is a song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed, originally titled "Keep Growing Strong" and recorded by Connie Stevens under the Bell label in 1970. Stevens' recording runs two minutes and thirty seconds. The composition later became a hit when it was released by the Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics in 1972 under its better known title, "Betcha by Golly, Wow". The Stylistics version One year after Stevens' original version was released, the Stylistics recorded a more successful cover version as an R&B ballad under the name the song is best known, "Betcha by Golly, Wow". It was the third track from the Stylistics' 1971 debut self-titled album; released as a single in 1972, it reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the No. 18 song for 1972. It also climbed to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart, and reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1972. The single sold over one million copies globally, earning th ...
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You Are Everything
"You Are Everything" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed and originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics. The Stylistics version An R&B ballad, it was the sixth track from their 1971 debut self-titled album and was released as a single in 1971 and reached number 9 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Allmusic – Charts & Awards/ref> It also climbed to number 10 in the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and reached number 24 in the ''Billboard'' Easy Listening chart. The Stylistics' record sold over one million copies globally, earning the band a gold disc The award was presented by the RIAA on January 3, 1972. It was the band's first gold disc. Group member Airrion Love only sang the opening harmony part with Russell. The actual background vocals were done by Russell, producer Thom Bell, Carl Helm, Bunny Sigler, Kenny Gamble, and Phil Hurtt. The rest of the Stylistics never sang on the first three albums that Thom Bell produced, as Russell ex ...
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Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)
"Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart)" is a Soul music, soul song songwriter, written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed that was originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul musical ensemble, group the Stylistics. The Stylistics original version An R&B ballad, it was the first track from their 1971 debut The Stylistics (album), self-titled album and was released as a single (music), single in 1971 and reached No. 39 on the United States, U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 record chart, chart. It also climbed to No. 6 in the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, R&B chart. Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye version Around the same time, Motown wanted their most successful label mates Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye to record a duet album. Among the songs they released, their version of "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)" was sound recording and reproduction, recorded in separate recording studio, studios, and was released as a United Kingdom, UK only single (music), ...
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Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in the United States. The weekly tracking period for sales was initially Monday to Sunday when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. This tracking period also applies to compiling online streaming data. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming, is readily available on a real-time basis, is also tracked on a Friday to Thursday cycle effective with the chart dated July 17, 2021 (previously Monday to Sunday and before July 2015, Wednesday to Tuesday). A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by ''Billboard'' on Tuesdays but post-dated to the following Saturday. The first number-one song of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 was " Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Ne ...
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