The Stylistics still making us 'feel brand new' after six decades of love songs

Still making us ‘feel brand new’ after 60 years in music, master of the love song Airrion Love is about to embark on a 22-day UK autumn tour with The Stylistics. Airrion says: “I remember having to run from shows. Our fans were our age, so we were running and they were chasing us. Now our fans are older, like we are, so there’s not a lot of running!” Down the years, fans have opened up to Airrion - even telling him they’ve conceived their children while listening to Stylistics hits. He says: “One couple came to a show and they were saying that they had three children and that each child was conceived to one of our songs. I don’t know which song – I didn’t ask. I was just shocked. Another time, a woman told me that she came to a concert with her ex-husband and mother-in-law. After hearing our music, they were cuddling up and then her mother-in-law said something that took her back to the problems they’d had before. She went ‘oh no, I’m not going back there.’ But the magic of the music almost brought about a reconciliation!” In their heyday The Stylistics rubbed shoulders with music greats like Smokey Robinson and the Temptations, Gladys Knight and Michael Jackson. Airron, 77, who lives in Philadelphia, USA, says: “We were sitting in our dressing room and all of sudden Michael walked in.. Our mouths fell wide open and we all went quiet. He said ‘I just wanted to say that you guys did a great show.’ Nobody said anything and he turned around and walked out. We were like ‘was that actually Michael?’” Originally a five-piece, The Stylistics now consist of fellow founder member Herb Murrell and lead singer Jason Sharp, who joined the group 19 years ago. The band was formed in 1968 from the merger of two Philadelphia high school groups, the Percussions and the Monarchs - with Airron originally in The Monarchs, who formed two years earlier. The Stylistics' first UK hit was in 1972 with Betcha by Golly, Wow, the first of a run of ten consecutive Top Ten singles, including Sing Baby Sing and Let’s Put It All Together But, at the start of the decade, before finding fame, they opened for the ‘Godfather of Soul,’ James Brown on a huge US tour. Airrion says: “When we started, we got 20 minutes. Then, when he heard the crowd applause, he cut it down to 15. He cut it down more and more and by the end of the tour we were actually on stage for five minutes.” They also experienced the tail-end of racial segregation in the southern American states. Airrion says: “We were in Georgia and from the stage I could see men’s and women’s bathrooms, but then in front of each sign I could see that it said white. It had been painted over, but I could still see underneath. Growing up in the north, I didn’t experience any racial problems until we started travelling south with James Brown. We had a jitney bus that we travelled in at night. One night we saw a big billboard sign with a picture of a man on a horse in a hood saying ‘The Ku Klux Klan welcomes you to South Carolina.’ We were always worried that we’d be stopped or see a cross on fire.” Once they found fame, their distinctive harmonies on hits such as You Make Me Feel Brand New, made them regulars on Top of the Pops. And they toured the world to screaming fans - partying until dawn when they arrived in London. Airrion says: “In the beginning we would come to the UK and do a show, then go out to dinner and out for a couple of drinks; I wouldn’t get back to the hotel until 3am. Now after a show, I go back to the hotel and go to bed. We’re much older, so those things have changed. We’re there to do our job, not to stay up all night and have fun; I need my rest.” But Airrion, who is single and has a son, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, still has the energy to make new music. Last year ,The Stylistics released a 21 track double album, Falling in Love with My Girl. Their first new album in almost two decades, it included collaborations with a host of stars, including Shania Twain, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood and Gene Simmons from Kiss. Airrion also writes for and produces the R&B soul group the Mt. Airy Project. But, for now, his focus is on The Stylistics’ upcoming UK tour, which opens in Cardiff on October 31, before travelling to various cities across the country, including Liverpool, London and Birmingham. Audiences will hear hits such as I’m Stone in Love with You and the No 1 disco hit Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love). Airrion’s favourite track remains the Grammy-nominated hit, You Make Me Feel Brand New. One of the first songs to have him as a lead singer, his unmistakable smooth baritone, croons the famous opening lines: ‘My love, I’ll never find the words, my love…’ Back in the ‘70s The Stylistics were known for their slick matching outfits and Airrion promises little has changed. “We still dress co-ordinated, “he smiles. “No more ruffle shirts and bow ties like back in the day, but at the last count, the guy who looks after our wardrobe has nine suitcases.” And their music has definitely stood the test of time. He says: “I think it’s because it’s identifiable. People can relate to being in love. Everyone has dealt with break-ups and make-ups, so I think the music is still relevant because of that.” Sadly, his health hasn’t been quite as robust as his music. Chronic kidney failure means that for the past two years he has been on dialysis – a daily life-saving treatment that filters toxins from the blood. He says: “The company that supplies the cleansing solutions is also based in the UK, so they send everything I need for the tour to the main office and then they put it on the tour bus. I’ll check in to the hotel, set up my machine and then leave it to the last minute to hook up. Then I’ll go and do the sound check, do the show and after I come back, I plug into the machine and go to sleep.” Six months ago, an infection landed him in hospital for eight days and he is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. He says: “If all goes well, I’ll get a call. I just hope I don’t get it while I’m in the UK – ‘we have a kidney for you, come back.’ We’ll see.” But he is determined his impending organ transplant will not silence The Stylistics. He says: “In the beginning we would come to the UK and do a show, then go out to dinner and out for a couple of drinks; I wouldn’t get back to the hotel until 3am. Now after a show I go back to the hotel and go to bed. We’re much older, so those things have changed. We’re there to do our job, not to stay up all night and have fun; I need my rest. “I still enjoy singing and we still have a fan base. If we didn’t and we were doing shows and people just weren’t showing up, then I would give it up. But in the UK our shows sell out, so I’ll continue to do it as long as the man upstairs decides to keep me here.” *The Stylistics will perform 22 dates across the UK from October 31st – November 28th, 2026. www.thestylistics.org