Nicholas Caldwell, co-founder and singer with the California R&B group the Whispers, has died. He was 71.
Willette Ballard, a representative for the group, said Caldwell died on Tuesday of congestive heart failure at his San Francisco home.
Formed in the San Francisco Bay area in 1963, Caldwell was an original member of the group that included brothers Walter and Wallace Scott, Marcus Hutson and Gordy Harmon. They recorded several singles for LA-based label Doré records between 1964 and 1967, according to their website, before releasing The Time Will Come in 1969. It was their first song to chart in the US, reaching No 19 on the R&B singles chart.
Their first top 10 R&B hit was in 1970 with Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong. Their first album to go platinum was The Whispers, in 1980. It included the disco hit, And the Beat Goes On, later sampled by rapper and actor Will Smith on his 1997 hit single Miami and featured in video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Caldwell also penned some of the group’s songs, including the fan favourite Lady. The group also had an R&B and pop hit, Rock Steady, with Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.
