RUSSELL THOMPKINS JR.
by GENEA L. WEBB, For New Pittsburgh Courier
Russell Thompkins Jr. has been looking forward to returning to Pittsburgh for a long time.
“The last time I performed in Pittsburgh was in the ‘70s but I’ve been to Pittsburgh a few times to do some re-recording for a show I did on PBS, and I came just to visit and come to the city. My father was born in Pittsburgh. I remember him talking about the Hill District, he said there was a lot of music there,” said Thompkins.
The Philadelphia born-and-raised singer will be returning to Pittsburgh on May 25 with his group, Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics, to perform as headliner for New Horizon Theater Inc.’s annual black-tie event.
“Mrs. Moore has given me the opportunity to come and have an intimate and lengthy stay in Pittsburgh. I get to meet some people and show everything that the Stylistics really are about,” said Thompkins, who enjoys going to movies with his wife when he is not singing. “You’ll probably hear every hit and most of the songs I’ve ever made. People at this show will be able to put their records on before they leave the house and when they come to see the show they’ll know that they are listening to the original voice on those records.”
Joyce Meggerson-Moore, Chairperson of New Horizon Theater Inc., is excited to introduce Russell Thompkins Jr. & The New Stylistics to Pittsburgh.
“He impressed me because he said he wanted to keep the songs fresh that the Stylistics made famous and it was his voice on those songs all those years ago,” said Meggerson-Moore, who brought the Stylistics to Pittsburgh in 2007. “He seemed to really want to work with New Horizon Theater Inc., because we are a theater company and theater is what we do, but once a year we do a musical event.”
The show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty. Chris Moore will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening. There will be a short excerpt from New Horizon Theater’s next play, “Freeda Peoples,” which will run from May 31-June 17. Tickets will be on sale during the show.
Tickets for the May 25 event range from $40 for balcony levels E-I to $50 for balcony levels A-D. Orchestra level rows A-G are $100 and include a meet-and-greet with the band and light refreshments provided by Chef Chaz.
“New Horizon really puts on a really comprehensive show and people are going to walk away feeling great. Our mission is to bring quality theater that caters to the African American diaspora and bringing Greater Pittsburgh consistent, live, high-quality theater to the stage and they are going to see that,” Meggerson-Moore said.
Tickets can be purchased at Dorsey’s, brownpapertickets.com, newhorizontheater.org, or by calling 412-431-0773.
Thompkins served as the original lead singer for the Stylistics from 1968 to 2000. The quintet collaborated with Thom Bell, a music producer who created the “Philly Sound,” and released their self-titled debut album in 1971. The group’s first single, “You’re A Big Girl Now,” immediately became a top-10 hit. Thompkins’ far-reaching falsetto appealed to ladies and gents alike and the group scored 12 top-10 hits from 1971 to 1974, culminating with the hit, “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” The Stylistics released their final album, “Heavy,” under Bell’s influence in 1974. “The Best of the Stylistics,” released in 1975, earned double-platinum status, making it their highest-selling album ever.
“We did three albums with Tommy Bell and Linda Creed from 1970 to 1973 and that’s when you heard most of the hits from the Stylistics and no one sang on those albums but me and a lot of people don’t know that, and I stayed there for 33 years. We traveled all over the world and I sang in almost every country in the world and that’s history.”
The 1980s found the group at a crossroads as Dunn and Smith left the group at the beginning of the decade. But like the Philadelphia Soul Sound, the Stylistics persevered and replaced the two original group members with Van Fields and Harold Brown. Thompkins left the group in 2000.
“When I left in 2000, we really didn’t leave on good terms,” he said. “I was with the group for 33 years and did all the traveling and all the recording and I can say I was happy most of the time, almost all of the time I was on stage performing for people and doing my recording, but when I left I wasn’t concerned about singing anymore.”
After leaving the group, Thompkins went back to school and studied music and learned how to play the piano. He released his first solo album, “A Matter of Style.”
Thompkins created Russell Thompkins Jr. & the New Stylistics in 2002. The group is devoted to preserving the sound of the original recordings and delivering high-quality vocal performances on stage. The group’s members are: Thompkins, Raymond Johnson and Jonathan Buckson.
“The romance in the songs are talking about love between women and men and that’s why the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s is liked so well by people of today. A lot of young people like the music and the songs of those days because it doesn’t exist today,” he said. “I have so much love when I get on stage and sing. I am so looking forward to coming to Pittsburgh.”
Like us at https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Pittsburgh-Courier/143866755628836?ref=hl
Follow @NewPghCourier on Twitter https://twitter.com/NewPghCourier
About Post Author
