The “Classic Slow Jam Tour,” featuring the Whispers, the Dells and the Dramatics, arrives in St. Louis on April 1 at the Fabulous Fox Theater. I had the pleasure of speaking with Walter Scott, one of the twins in the Whispers, this past Saturday. He shared some very interesting information about a group that the world has come to know and love.
Q. You have been performing professionally for 41 years. What was the secret ingredient that has kept the Whispers together this long?
A. Wallace and I were born in Texas and later moved to California. The other members of the band, my brother and I all went to school together in California. All of us, except Lavelle, were the product of single-parent families. Marcus Hudson (who died in 2000), Nicholas Caldwell and Scotty and I were raised by mothers, who were strong and knew the importance of a Christian upbringing. I believe, because of their guidance, we felt that every member of the group was an important entity.
Q. Where did the name “Whispers” come from?
A. Gordy Harmon introduced us to a small record company called Dore Records in an effort to obtain a record deal. Mr. Berdell of Dore Records asked us to sing and said, “I love your sound. Let’s call you the Whispers.” We told Mr. Berdell he could call us anything he wanted, just give us the record deal. And that is how it all started.
Q. Who are some of the artists that you like in the entertainment industry today?
A. We love Alicia Keys. She is a true musician and vocalist. We love the way she represents herself. We are also impressed with our black actors as well as musicians. I’m most proud of Denzel Washington.
Q. Many have said that you will remembered for “And the Beat Goes On”, “It’s a Love Thing,” “Keep On Loving Me” and “Tonight.” What would you like to be remembered for?
A. We would like to be remembered for all of them, really, the whole entire collection of music. We are so lucky to be able to do what we love to do and get paid for it. “Songs for Donny” was my favorite. My brother and I saw Donny Hathaway in a small club in Chicago. He had that audience in the palm of his hand. We said, we want to be like that.
Q. After releasing all of the albums of the past, have you ever questioned yourself or regret any material you put out there?
A. I can honestly say, I am very proud of everything we have done. Oh, wait, I take that back. There was one song called “Pi**ed Off.” Writer John Benton wrote a song called “Baby Come Back.” In the song, a man is admitting he messed up with his woman, and the woman states “baby don’t be pi**ed off.” Radio was beginning to change, so instead of staying with “Baby come Back,” we renamed the song “Pi**ed Off.” Don Cornelius is our friend and we happened to be performing on his show one day. Before the performance, Don came into our dressing room and said, “Man, my sponsors will not allow ‘Pi**ed Off’ to be on the air; they are insulted with the phrase.” It seemed to be a favorite with people playing the music, but I think renaming that song was a big mistake.
Q. What advice would you give to a young artist pursuing a career in the entertainment industry?
A. We have a saying: we are in SHOW BUSINESS. It’s two words. Young people concentrate on the SHOW part of it, and they forget about the BUSINESS aspect. When business isn’t handled properly, people take advantage of you. A person entering the field of entertainment needs to research publishing, copyrights and so many other things about the industry. If you can draw thousands to come see you perform, you deserve a big part of the return. Get a good attorney or someone that understands this business to help you. Go into a deal understanding what you are really worth.
Q. As your song goes, “Just gets better with time.” Artists of your caliber seem to perform until they die. Do you feel there will come a time when you will retire?
A. One has to really be honest with him or herself. Some people cannot execute the way they used to. We have gone on tour with a few people like that. They know they cannot hit that high note anymore, but they allow themselves to become mediocre instead of the excellent act they once were. If we ever get to the point that we cannot hit those notes, it’s time to move on. I don’t ever want sympathy applause; I want people to enjoy our music.
Q. I heard that you are in the process of releasing new material? Is that true?
A. “Yes. We are in the final stages of a brand new CD. All I can say to you is we are very excited about the CD. You are going to know immediately it’s the Whispers done Whisper-style. The CD is For Your Ears Only. With the release of this new CD, we will also have a book and a DVD that will discuss our entire career. This new material we are releasing is produced and distributed by the Whispers. We have our own label.
Be sure to join me in checking out the Whispers at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on April 1, 2005.