Airrion Love, master of the love song and founding member of The Stylistics, is preparing for a 22-day UK autumn tour, marking 60 years in music. Reflecting on the changing dynamics with fans, Love shared: “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!”
Fans' Personal Stories and Encounters with Legends
Over the years, fans have shared intimate moments with Love, including conceiving children to Stylistics hits. He recounted: “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 mingled with music greats like Smokey Robinson, the Temptations, Gladys Knight, and Michael Jackson. Love, now 77 and based in Philadelphia, recalled: “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?’”
Early Days and Challenges
Originally a five-piece, The Stylistics now feature fellow founder Herb Murrell and lead singer Jason Sharp, who joined 19 years ago. The band formed in 1968 from the merger of two Philadelphia high school groups, the Percussions and the Monarchs, with Love originally in the Monarchs, formed two years earlier. Their first UK hit came in 1972 with “Betcha by Golly, Wow,” the first of ten consecutive Top Ten singles, including “Sing Baby Sing” and “Let’s Put It All Together.” Before fame, they opened for James Brown on a huge US tour, with Love noting: “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 witnessed the tail-end of racial segregation in the southern US. Love said: “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.”
From Fame to Health Battles
Their distinctive harmonies on hits like “You Make Me Feel Brand New” made them regulars on Top of the Pops, and they toured worldwide to screaming fans. Love reflected on changing habits: “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.”
Despite health challenges, including chronic kidney failure requiring daily dialysis for the past two years, Love remains active. He explained the logistics for the tour: “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.” An infection six months ago led to an eight-day hospital stay, and he is on the waiting list for a kidney transplant, saying: “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.”
New Music and Tour Plans
Last year, The Stylistics released a 21-track double album, “Falling in Love with My Girl,” their first new album in nearly two decades, featuring collaborations with Shania Twain, Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood, and Gene Simmons of Kiss. Love also writes for and produces the R&B soul group the Mt. Airy Project. His focus now is on the upcoming UK tour, opening in Cardiff on October 31, before visiting cities including Liverpool, London, and Birmingham. Audiences will hear hits like “I’m Stone in Love with You” and the No 1 disco hit “Can’t Give You Anything (But My Love).” Love’s favourite track remains the Grammy-nominated “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” on which he sings the opening lines: ‘My love, I’ll never find the words, my love…’
On their style, Love promises little has changed: “We still dress co-ordinated. 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.” On the music’s enduring appeal, he said: “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.”
Love is determined his impending transplant won’t silence The Stylistics, adding: “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.
