American soul singer Russell Allen Thompkins Jr. was born on March 21, 1951. Known for his high tenor, countertenor, and falsetto voices, he is best known as the founding member and original lead vocalist of the singing group The Stylistics.
The Stylistics achieved five gold songs and 12 consecutive Top 10 Billboard R&B singles with Russell as their main singer between 1971 and 1974.
Why did Russell Thompkins leave the original Stylistics?
In an interview, Russel Thompkins stated he left the original group because he couldn’t take the fighting and all the tension anymore.
Thompkins, a Philadelphia native, began singing officially in school after his father exposed him to music. Thompkins competed in the Benjamin Franklin High School talent event as a member of the local singing group the Monarchs, which won over the Percussions.
Both organizations split up immediately after that. In 1968, the surviving members of the group—Thompkins, James Smith, Airrion Love, and James Smith from The Monarchs, as well as James Dunn and Herbie Murrell from the Percussions—joined forces to create The Stylistics.
