Stephanie Mills & The Whispers in Washington

Stephanie Mills is an American soul and R&B singer and stage performer born in Brooklyn in 1957. She is known for originating the role of Dorothy in the Broadway musical The Wiz and for songs including “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” “Home” and “I Feel Good All Over.” Stephanie Mills made her Broadway debut in Maggie Flynn in 1968. She returned to Broadway in 1975 as Dorothy in The Wiz, a role she played for several years, and later built her concert repertoire around her stage and recording work. In 2021, she performed at a live Verzuz event opposite Chaka Khan.

The Whispers are an American vocal group formed in Watts in 1963, known for polished soul, funk and R&B built around close harmonies. Their signature recordings include “And the Beat Goes On,” “Rock Steady,” “It’s a Love Thing” and “Lady.” In 1972, the group performed at Wattstax at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, placing its early concert history inside the landmark Stax event. Decades later, the concert release Live from Las Vegas documented The Whispers performing their established repertoire in Las Vegas.