Clyde McPhatter (Durham, North Carolina, 15 november 1932 – Teaneck (New Jersey), 13 June 1972) was an American doo wopand rhythm and bluessinger. He was one of the first who combined with r & b and gospel was thus a precursor of the soul music.
Career[Edit][]
McPhatter was a boy soprano and after his family from North Carolina had moved to New York City, a gospel group, The Mount Lebanon Singers, formed around him.Later he retained his tenor voice. In 1950 he won an "amateur night" at the Apollo Theater in New York. Billy Ward thereupon asked him to come sing in his R & B group BIlly Ward and His Dominoes. McPhatter was the lead singer on the first hit of the group, "Do Something For Me", which in 1951 to number six climbed into the R & BBillboard list. However, not always the tensions between Ward and McPhatter, who found that he had not got the recognition he deserved. He left the group in 1953.Jackie Wilson, whose singing style was influenced strongly by McPhatter, succeeded him at the Dominoes.
McPhatter got a recording contract with Atlantic Records by Ahmet Ertegün, who asked him to form a new group. That group was The Drifters. The first Drifters were old acquaintances of The Mount Lebanon Singers. They recorded four songs on during a session on 29 June 1953, but Atlantic boss Ertegün saw no bread in the combination and asked to form another group McPhatter. The new group members came from another gospel group, The Civitones. Under the name Clyde McPhatter & the Drifters they had in the autumn of 1953 a first hit, "Money Honey" (the b-side was another number that had included the original Drifters). In 1954 and 1955, there were successes such as "Such A Night", "Honey Love", "Bip Bam", "White Christmas" and "What'cha Gonna Do".
This was McPhatters's last recording with the group, because he was doing his military service. He went on as a solo artist. His first recording without the Drifters were "Love Has Joined Us Together", a duet with Ruth Brown (1955), and "Seven Days" (1956). That were followed by several R & B hits, including "Treasure of Love" (1956), "Long Lonely Nights" (1957) and "A lover's Question" (1958) reached the top of the Billboard R & B-list. "A lover's Question" was also a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100(number 6).
After his time at Atlantic Records, he moved to MGM Records and then to Mercury Records. His last top 10 hit was "Lover Please" from 1962, a song written by Billy Swan.After his downfall. In 1968 he moved to England, where he still had success with his performances in clubs. In the early 1970s he returned to the United States. At Decca Records he released the lp "Welcome Home" from which, however, not the hoped-for success. The disillusioned McPhatter was hit heavily by now to the drink and on 13 June 1972 became a fatal heart attack him.
In 1987, Clyde McPhatter inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Singles discography (as solo artist)[Edit][]
| Title | Highest Billboard-listing Pop | Highest Billboard-listing R & B | Year | Tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Has Joined Us Together/I Gotta Have You (with Ruth Brown) | - | 8 | 1955 | Atlantic |
| Seven Days | 44 | 2 | 1956 | |
| Treasure of Love | 16 | 1 | ||
| Without Love (There Is Nothing)/I make Believe | 19 | 4 | 1957 | |
| Just to Hold My Hand | 26 | 6 | ||
| Thirty Days | - | - | ||
| Long Lonely Nights | 49 | 1 | ||
| Rock and Cry | 93 | - | ||
| Come What May | 43 | 3 | 1958 | |
| Lover Please | 32 | 4 | ||
| A lover's Question | 6 | 1 | ||
| Lovey Dovey | 49 | 12 | 1959 | Atlantic |
| I Told Myself a Lie | 70 | MGM | ||
| Since you've Been Gone | 39 | 14 | Atlantic | |
| Twice As Nice | 91 | MGM | ||
| You Went Back on Your Word | 72 | 13 | Atlantic | |
| Let's Try Again | 48 | 13 | MGM | |
| Just Give Me a Ring | 96 | 1960 | Atlantic | |
| Deep Sea Ball/Let the Boogie-Woogie Roll | - | - | ||
| Think Me a Kiss | 66 | MGM | ||
| Ta Ta (Just Like a Baby) | 23 | 7 | Mercury | |
| This Is Not Goodbye/One Right After Another | - | - | MGM | |
| Tomorrow Is a-Comin | 103 | - | 1961 | Mercury |
| I'll Love You Til the Cows Come Home | 110 | - | ||
| A Whole Heap of Love | - | - | ||
| I Never Knew | 56 | 17 | ||
| Same Time Same Place | - | - | ||
| Lover Please | 7 | - | 1962 | |
| Little Bitty Pretty One | 25 | - | ||
| Maybe/I Do Believe | - | - | ||
| The Best Man Cried | 118 | - | ||
| From One To One | 127 | - | 1963 | |
| Deep In the Heart of Harlem | 90 | 90 | ||
| Second Window, Second Floor | - | - | 1964 | |
| Baby Baby/Lucille | - | - | ||
| Crying Won't Help You Now | 117 | 22 | 1965 | |
| A Shot of Rhythm and Blues/I'm Not Going to Work Today | - | - | 1966 | Amy |
| Sweet and Innocent/Lavender Lace | - | - | 1967 | |
| Baby You Got It | - | - | 1968 | Deram |
| I'll Belong to You/Book of Memories | - | - | 1970 | Decca |
| Why Can't We Get Together/Mixed Up Cup | - | - |