Solar Records - Whispers

The official Solar Records biography

Take five dynamite singers, blend them together in a unique vocal style, and who do you get? Well, if their names happen to be Wallace (Scotty) Scott, Walter Scott, Marcus Hutson, Leaveil Degree, and Nicholas Caldwell, then you've got The Whispers.

They are heard in all their exciting majesty and sophisticated soul on their Solar Records album, "The Whispers" (manufactured and distributed by RCA Records--BXL1-3521), meticulously produced by Dick Griffey with The Whispers and co-produced by Leon Sylvers.

While The Whispers have been on the music scene for years, this is by far the classy vocal quintet's finest LP to date. The Whispers cannot be tied to any single style of music and it is their versatility that keeps them ahead of other performers.

As Scotty, who with his twin brother, Walter, shares the lead tenor chores for the group, says, "We do a little bit of everything -- jazz, pop, funk. We haven't got any one style."

As always, they shine on the ballads, especially "Lady," "I Love You," and a cover version of the classic "My Girl," as well as the sharp, tightly meshed uptempo cut "And The Beat Goes On."

Proving their versatility is an important goal for the group's other members as well. "For us to really be the best," says Marcus, "we have to prove that we can get into all contemporary music."

And as Nicholas comments about The Whispers' Solar Records release, "the album is a good, mixture of danceable R&B and ballads. A good way to describe it would be to say it's contemporary soul."

Whatever The Whispers' brand of music is called, they manage to combine it with exciting choreographed dance routines that make The Whispers not only thrilling to hear, but a delight to watch.

Most of the group's choreography is done by Nicholas, who is also The Whispers' invaluable second tenor, Reared in Southern California, Nicholas got most of his basic vocal training from singing in glee clubs in high school.

"Getting a chance to do the choreography for The Whispers is really a fantastic experience," adds Nicholas. "Every member of the group can really dance well, including acrobatic and tap dancing."

Scotty also seems to feel that the group's practice of performing older-style tunes really helped the group's dancing. "When we first started together we did a lot of vaudeville tunes, like 'Me And My Shadow' and that's where I think we learned to tap dance."

Like Nicholas, the other members began singing in junior high school, including the newest member of the group, Leaveil. Before he ever started singing with The Whispers, Leaveil was, as he puts it, "One of their biggest fans.

I always thought that the group was fantastic. I'm really proud to be a part of The Whispers." When he isn't singing, Leaveil can usually be found around an auto racetrack, either watching or driving one of his own race cars. "I'm a fanatic about cars," says Leaveil. "After singing, comes racing."

The Whispers were originally the brainchild of the twin brothers, Scotty and Walter. "We had an uncle whom we would always listen to," says Walter, "and he taught us a lot about harmonizing. That's where we learned that kind of singing."

"That's another reason we're so versatile," said Scotty. "We've been exposed to a lot of different singers. We always picked up whatever we could." After Walter and Scotty got their act together, they met up with Marcus and Nicholas, and decided to form a group. Thus, The whispers was born.

None of the members was really sure what would happen to The Whispers when they first started singing together. As Marcus tells it, "at first we were really singing as just a hobby, but after we got out of school we decided to quit our jobs and really go all the way."

If there's one thing The Whispers have done, it's that they have gone all the way.

In addition to having done major television shows and completed extensive tours throughout the United States, most recently the group played an instrumental part, in launching The Donny Hathaway Scholarship Fund in conjunction with the Fund's founder and creator, Solar label prez Dick Griffey -- with the sole purpose of doing what Donny Hathaway did so well, that of lifting people's spirits.

Since Donny achieved this via his music, it was only logical that the Scholarship begin by utilizing one of his own compositions. In tribute, one of Donny's most beautiful melodies was given new lyrics by Solar's singer/songwriter Carrie Lucas, and recorded by The Whispers.

The tune, "A Song For Donny," is contained on the group's album and proceeds from the single are being donated to Donny's wife and children.

There isn't a song that has been written that The Whispers can't sing and for The Whispers - "The Beat Goes On."