Photo courtesy Altria Theater
Walter Scott is used to fans yelling his name in airports. But with him, one of two frontmen in the R&B vocal group known as The Whispers, it’s not a shout out, it’s lyric quoting. “Hey, Scotty!” is a reference to the group’s 1983 hit “Keep on Lovin’ Me,” which features a conversation between the band and its lead singer. The tune is a crowd favorite, to the point that the group almost gets relieved of its duties when they reach that part of the show.
“We don’t even have to sing it,” Scott says, laughing. “They can sing it better than we do.”
The low-budget video for the song has the band skip-stepping, spinning and strutting between fountains on empty sidewalks as they plead to preserve a relationship that’s facing “tough” times. It’s not a high concept, but the energy and enthusiasm of the quintet is infectious and compelling. So much so that recently, two groups created homages to the clip, the North Carolina-based Zo!, with “We Are on the Move,” and Richmond rapper Mad Skillz, who released “In a Minute” in 2018. Scott says he’s aware of both, but hasn’t seen the most recent, filmed in downtown Richmond last year.
“It’s flattering,” he says. “It keeps your music out there.”
With more than 20 albums and a cluster of hit singles dating back to their start in 1963, The Whispers have a lot of music out there. Some of their hits include “In the Mood,” “Rock Steady” and “Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong,” as well as “And the Beat Goes On,” which later lent its groove to Will Smith’s hit “Miami.”
Distinct from many other bands of their era, The Whispers still feature all original members, who attended the same junior high school. There’s also been consistency behind the group, as they’ve been backed by the Whispers Orchestra, a band that includes members who have been with the organization for 30 years. “Most of them come from the Bay Area, and you know they play a kind of music that really stems from us,” Scott, 76, says.
Most of the band’s later hits were on Solar Records, which was co-owned by the late Don Cornelius, the host of the television show “Soul Train.” The show is the subject of a Broadway musical, produced by drummer and music historian Questlove.“That’s a powerful story to be told,” Scott says. “The one thing I think is that he didn’t get enough credit from black artists. Because man, when we couldn’t get on [American] Bandstand and all of that, there was ‘Soul Train.’ ”
Three members of the original group from junior high have died, but none of them have been replaced. Scott concedes that they’ve had to make adjustments since becoming a trio, following the deaths of Marcus Hutson in 2000 and Nicholas Caldwell in 2016. Current members include Scott's twin brother, Wallace, and Leaveil Degree.
“So we’ve had, you know, some background parts that are now being sung by band members,” Scott says. “But visually it’s different. … The biggest thing is the music, and [departed members are] still with us, and we appreciate that.”
Scott knows that at some point, the show won’t go on for The Whispers. It’s not a moment he’s looking forward to, but he won’t deny it when it arrives.
“You kind of know when you can’t do it anymore,” he says. “If we ever got to the point where when you go to hit the note, and it’s just not there … you’ll never see us like that. But right now, it’s going great. And we roll with it.”
The Whispers are joined by Will Hart of the Delfonics, The Dynamic Superiors, The Spinners and Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes at the Altria Theater at 6 p.m. on Oct. 20. $89.50. altriatheater.com
