The Whispers to Perform at Sesquicentennial Presidential Scholarship Gala

One of R&B music's most beloved and consistently popular vocal groups, The Whispers, will headline the Sesquicentennial Presidential Scholarship Gala on Friday, November 15, at 6 p.m. in the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex. The gala raises money for scholarships to benefit the Claflin University Presidential Scholars. The scholars are high-achieving students who receive full tuition, room and board, and a book stipend as a result of their outstanding academic accomplishments.

Tickets for the Presidential Scholarship Gala may be purchased online by clicking here. For more information about the Gala, call (803) 535-5665 or (803) 535-5357.

In the annals of R&B history, the Whispers have earned a solid and memorable position. Celebrating over 50 years in the industry, they are one of the finest and longest-lived R&B vocal groups, and what's most amazing is that they did it with nearly all the same members. They are known for their smooth soulful ballads and remain one of the premier R&B groups to ever grace the stage. Their musical success can be attributed to a careful balance of R&B, disco, jazz, and pop to the delight of millions of fans. They have had double platinum albums, 33 top ten hits and over 20 Billboard charted albums over a span of five decades.

The Whispers began their legendary and timeless career in 1964 when they first organized at Jordan High School in Watts, producing a string of hits continuing over the last five decades such as "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong," "And the Beat Goes On," "Rock Steady," "A Song For Donny," and "Lady." They emerged as the leading romantic singers of their generation, racking up one gold album after another.

They are the first group to be signed to Soul Train Records, and earned most of their greatest hits with Solar Records. The Whispers' music has been sampled over 131 times and their music has been featured in over 600 musical compilations. Their music has been heard on movie sound tracks such as "Waiting to Exhale," "Madea's Family Reunion," and "Diary of a Mad Black Woman." They sang the title track on Jay Leno's movie soundtrack "Collision Course." The group has not made any personnel changes since 1973 when Leaveil Degree replaced Gordy Harmon; they still consist of Walter Scott, Wallace Scott, and Leaveil Degree. The recent passing of Nicholas Caldwell in 2016 leaves them as a trio, but still stellar and powerful in their stage presence. They are one of only a few "old school" groups that can boast of having over 50 years in the industry with a worldwide fan base, maintaining their vocal dominance and original members.

Their five decades of accomplishments have been acknowledged by induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, presentation of the Governor's Award by the San Francisco Chapter of the Grammy Awards, an NAACP Image Award, induction into the Bay Area Blues Society Hall of Fame, Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, and The Black Music Academy of America's "Living Legends" award.