The Stylistics

The Stylistics are one of the most well-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968 (see 1968 in music) and comprised lead Russell Thompkins Jr, Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. They had their f

The Stylistics are one of the most well-known Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. They formed in 1968 (see 1968 in music) and comprised lead Russell Thompkins Jr, Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith, and James Dunn. They had their first hit in 1971 (see 1971 in music) with "You're a Big Girl Now".

Signing to Avco Records, the Stylistics began working with producer Thom Bell, who had already produced a catalogue of hits for The Delfonics, and songwriter Linda Creed. Bell imported the sweet soul techniques he had perfected with the Delfonics and his arrangements worked perfectly with Thompkins' falsetto. The bittersweet lyrics from Creed were a key factor in creating hugely memorable music.