The Group is Known for Billboard No. 1 Hits Such as “Rock Steady,” “And the Beat Goes On” 

Walter Scott

A founding member of the legendary R&B vocal group, The Whispers, has died at the age of 81. He died of complications of stage 4 stomach cancer and other underlying ailments at an Oakland, CA hospital on the morning of June 26, 2025. Mr. Scott had been receiving chemotherapy and other treatments over the last year. He had not performed with the group in their most recent concert dates.  The Whispers performed for over 50 years. They are best-known for Billboard No. 1 R&B hits such as “Rock Steady” and “And the Beat Goes On.”  

The Twins Walter and Wallace

Walter Scott and his twin brother Wallace Scott (aka Scotty) were born September 3, 1943, in Ft. Worth, Texas. They grew up singing in churches and later sang jazz standards as a teenage duo. When they didn’t have paid gigs, the Scott brothers sang on Los Angeles street corners with their buddies Nicholas Caldwell, Marcus Hutson, and Gordy Harmon. These friends were then known as The Eden Trio.

After perfecting their style, the five of them began to sing in San Francisco nightclubs. When they began to record for Dore Records in 1964, label owner Lou Bedell renamed them The Whispers. “We had a soft sound like The Four Freshmen,” Caldwell once said. “But we were applying it to R&B and Lou Bedell said that when we sing, we sound like a whisper.”  Bedell used those smooth vocals on novelty tunes such as “The Dip” and “Dr. Love.”  

The First Top 10 Hit

The Whispers scored their first Top Ten R&B hit with “Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong” in 1970. After years of modest successes, a 1976 move to Dick Griffy’s Solar Records made them urban headliners. They struck with a series of slow jam ballads such as “Lady” and “Olivia (Lost and Turned Out).” They also released dance cuts such as “It’s A Love Thing,” “And the Beat Goes On” and the Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds-produced cut, “Rock Steady.” Over their career, they placed nearly 50 songs on the Billboard R&B Airplay charts. Only two of them hit the top fold of the Billboard Pop Singles Chart. In 1981’s “And the Beat Goes On” hit No. 19 and 1987’s “Rock Steady” peaked at No. 7. 

In 2009, they got a chance to do a lifetime dream and record a gospel album, Thankful (Kingdom Records). They had always wanted to do one, but their prior labels wouldn’t allow it. The album was produced by gospel star Fred Hammond and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums chart. It remained on the survey for 45 weeks. Its success was propelled by the smooth radio single “Thou Art with Me.”

The group performed songs from the project on television programs such as BET’s “Bobby Jones Gospel” and BET’s “The Mo’Nique Show.” Grammy award-winning DJ Maurice Joshua remixed a track from the album as “Praise His Holy Name (Steppers Remix).” The remix saw it rack up over 3 million digital streams. 

Awards

The Whispers have earned five R.I.A.A. certified gold albums and two platinum albums. “And the Beat Goes On” earned them a gold record. “Rock Steady” earned the group their only GRAMMY® Award nomination in the category of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. They have received an NAACP Image Award and the Recording Academy’s San Francisco Chapter GRAMMY® Governor’s Award. Additionally, they have been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2022, they received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for their community service work. They also received the Legends Awards at the 7^th annual Black Music Honors ceremony at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Past Members

Past members Marcus Hutson died in 2000, Nicholas Caldwell died in 2016, and Gordy Harmon died in 2023. Wallace Scott and Leaveil Degree (who replaced Gordy Harmon in 1973) continue to perform as The Whispers. Mr. Scott is survived by his wife, Jan, two children and three grandchildren.