BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Clyde Lensley McPhatter November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972 was an American R&B and rock n' roll singer. He was perhaps the most widely imitated R&B singer of the 1950s and 1960s, making him a key figure in the shaping of doo-wop and R&B. His high-pitched tenor voice was steeped in the gospel music he sang in much of his younger life. He is best known for his solo hit "A Lover's Question". McPhatter was lead tenor for The Mount Lebanon Singers, a gospel group he formed as a teenager, and later, lead tenor for Billy Ward and His Dominoes. McPhatter was largely responsible for the success the Dominoes initially enjoyed. After his tenure with the Dominoes, McPhatter formed his own group, The Drifters, before going solo. Only 39 at the time of his death, he had struggled for years with alcoholism and depression and was, according to Jay Warner’s On This Day in Music History, "broke and despondent over a mismanaged career that made him a legend but hardly a success." Clyde McPhatter left a legacy of over 22 years of recording history. He was the first artist in music history to become a double inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, first as a member of The Drifters, and later as a solo artist, and as a result, all subsequent double and/or triple inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are said to be members of "The Clyde McPhatter Club."
Life and career
Early life
Clyde Lensley McPhatter was born in the tobacco town community of Hayti, in Durham, North Carolina on November 15, 1932, and raised in a religious Baptist family; the son of the Rev. George McPhatter and wife Beulah (though some accounts refer to her as Eva). Starting at age five, he sang in his father's church gospel choir along with his three brothers and three sisters. When he was ten, Clyde was the soprano-voiced soloist for the choir. In 1945, the Rev. McPhatter moved his family to Teaneck, New Jersey where Clyde attended Chelsior High School. He worked part-time as a grocery store clerk, and eventually was promoted to shift manager upon graduating high school. The family then relocated to New York City, where Clyde formed the gospel group The Mount Lebanon Singers.
Membership in Billy Ward & The Dominoes (1950-53)
In 1950, after winning "Amateur Night" at Harlem's Apollo Theater, McPhatter returned to his job as store manager but later was recruited by Billy Ward & the Dominoes, and was present for the recording of "Sixty Minute Man" for Federal Records, a song regarded as the "first record of rock 'n roll," produced by Ralph Bass. (It is noteworthy to know that winning "Amateur night" at the Apollo is not an easy feat.)
Billy Ward and His Dominoes was one of the top R&B vocal groups in the country, garnering more popularity than The Clovers, The Ravens and The Five Keys, largely due to Clyde's fervent, high-pitched tenor. He is regarded as the main singer to infuse a gospel-steeped singing style into mainstream R&B, though blues singer Roy Brown was actually the first to do so. Although Roy Brown started the trend, McPhatter was more widely imitated, and was a much bigger influence in the shaping of Doo-Wop/R&B. In his book The Drifters, Bill Millar names Ben E. King, Smokey Robinson of the Miracles, Sammy Turner, and Marv Johnson among the vocalists who patterned themselves after McPhatter. "Most important," he concludes, "McPhatter took hold of the Ink Spots' simple major chord harmonies, drenched them in call-and-response patterns and sang as if he were back in church. In doing so, he created a revolutionary musical style from which---thankfully---popular music will never recover." Strangely, McPhatter didn't think much of his own singing abilities. The numerous Clyde McPhatter imitators tell a different story, including Bobby Hendricks, an interim Drifter, Nolan Strong of The Diablos, Bobby Day, Dee Clark, and an unlikely Patsy Cline (listen to the versions of "Someday you'll want me to want you;" one version recorded in 1954 by McPhatter with the Drifters. Cline's delivery of the song is imitative of the McPhatter version).
After recording several more songs, including "Have Mercy Baby", "Do Something for Me," and "The Bells", McPhatter left The Dominoes on May 7, 1953. He was sometimes passed off as "Clyde Ward," Billy's little brother. Others assumed it was Billy Ward doing the lead singing. Because of such occurrences, and because he was frequently at odds with Ward, McPhatter decided he would quit the Dominoes, intent on making a name for himself. McPhatter announced his intent to quit the group which Billy Ward agreed to if Clyde would stay on long enough to coach a replacement. Later, auditions for a replacement were held at Detroit's Fox Theater and a young Jackie Wilson would later take over as lead tenor for the Dominoes, influencing Wilson's singing style and stage presence. "I fell in love with the man's voice. I toured with the group and watched Clyde and listened..."---and apparently learned. Privately, McPhatter and Ward often argued, but publicly Clyde expressed his appreciation to Ward for giving him his start in show business.
Founder of The Drifters (1953-1954)
Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, eagerly sought McPhatter after noticing he was not present for an appearance The Dominoes once made at Birdland, which was "an odd booking for the Dominoes", in Ertegun's words.[12] After locating him, McPhatter was then signed to Atlantic on the condition that he form his own group. McPhatter promptly assembled a group and called them The Drifters. They recorded a few tracks in June 1953, including a song called "Lucille," written by McPhatter himself. This group of Drifters did not have the sound Atlantic executives were looking for however, and Clyde was prompted to assemble another group of singers. The revised lineup recorded and released such hits as "Money Honey," "Such a Night," "Honey Love," "White Christmas" and "Whatcha Gonna Do," with the record label proudly displaying the group name "Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters." (The story of The Drifters is full of personnel changes. The first group of Drifters Clyde assembled were mostly members of The Mount Lebanon Singers.)
In late 1954, McPhatter was inducted into the Army and assigned to Special Services in the continental United States, which allowed him to continue recording. After his tour of duty was up, he left The Drifters and launched a solo career.
Solo career
McPhatter's first solo hit occurred just after being discharged - "Love Has Joined Us Together" (with Ruth Brown). He released several R&B recordings in the next few years, including "Rock and cry", "Seven Days" (later a bigger hit for Tom Jones), "Treasure of Love," "Just to Hold my Hand", and his biggest solo hit, "A Lover's Question," written by Brook Benton and Clyde Otis, which peaked at No. 6 in 1958. In 1962, the song "Lover Please," written by country artist Billy Swan was released. His 1956 recording "Treasure of Love" saw his first solo No. 1 on the R&B charts and one week in the UK Singles Chart. It reached No. 16 on the U.S. Pop charts.
After leaving Atlantic Records, McPhatter then signed on with MGM Records, and released several more songs, including "I Told Myself a Lie" and "Think Me a Kiss" (1960) and his first single forMercury Records "Ta Ta." His tenure on these labels proved to be less fruitful than his time with Atlantic. He recorded more singles, including "I Never Knew" and his final Top Ten hit "Lover Please," which made it to No. 7 in 1962. It was after "Lover Please" that McPhatter saw a downward turn in his career, as musical styles and tastes were constantly changing during the 1960s. These directional changes were the main reason McPhatter turned to alcohol abuse, as more sporadic recordings failed to chart.
In 1968, McPhatter moved to England, where he was still highly revered, and he was backed by UK band "ICE".
Death
McPhatter returned to America in 1970, making a few appearances in rock 'n roll revival tours, but remaining mostly a recluse. Hopes for a major comeback with a Decca album were crushed on June 13, 1972, when Clyde McPhatter died in his sleep at the age of 39 from complications of heart, liver, and kidney disease, brought on by alcohol abuse - abuse that had been fueled by a failed career and the resentment he harbored towards the fans he felt deserted him. In a 1971 interview with journalist Marcia Vance, McPhatter told Vance "I have no fans."McPhatter died at 1165 East 229th Street, Bronx, New York, where he was living with Bertha M. Reid. They traveled together as he was trying to make a comeback.
McPhatter was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey at the time of his death. He was buried at George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.
Ruth Brown acknowledged in her later years that McPhatter was the actual father of her son Ronald, born in 1954.[16] Ron now tours occasionally with a show of Drifters songs.
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