Clyde McPhatter

Rhythm-and-blues singer

• Born: November 15, 1932
• Birthplace: Durham, North Carolina
• Died: June 13, 1972
• Place of death: Teaneck, New Jersey

One of the most influential early rhythm-and-blues artists, McPhatter was the lead singer in the groups Billy Ward and His Dominoes and the Drifters. His work has been covered by countless musicians, including Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, and Otis Redding. McPhatter’s most famous songs include “Money Honey,” “Treasure of Love,” “Lover Please,” and “Little Bitty Pretty One.”

Early Life

Clyde Lensley McPhatter was born on November 15, 1932, in Durham, North Carolina, to George and Beulah McPhatter. He grew up with five siblings in a deeply religious family; McPhatter sang at the Mount Calvary Baptist Church, where his father preached and his mother played the organ. In 1945, the family moved to New Jersey, and McPhatter began singing professionally in a gospel group. Later that decade, he joined the Mount Lebanon Singers, a popular gospel group, after his family moved to New York City.

Life’s Work

In 1950, McPhatter made the transition out of religious music, joining the rhythm-and-blues group Billy Ward and His Dominoes as their lead singer. The group was an immediate success, signing with King Records and recording 1951’s biggest rhythm-and-blues hit, “Sixty Minute Man.” McPhatter recorded several more hits, including “Have Mercy Baby,” with the group over the next three years; however, he soon became frustrated with the way Ward controlled the group’s image and hoarded profits.

In 1953, McPhatter set out on his own, signing with Atlantic Records and organizing the group the Drifters. McPhatter was the only member to negotiate a large salary for himself; the label viewed the group’s other singers as disposable. He topped the rhythm-and-blues charts again with “Money Honey” in 1954 and recorded numerous singles that made him a mainstay of the chart’s Top 10, including “Honey Love” and a cover of “White Christmas.” Later that year, McPhatter was drafted, but the Army allowed him to continue recording with the Drifters. After leaving the Army in 1955, McPhatter quit the Drifters and embarked on a solo career at Atlantic. The Drifters continued with a new lead singer, Johnny Moore, and later recorded hits such as “There Goes My Baby” and “Save the Last Dance for Me.”

McPhatter did his most critically acclaimed work in the late 1950’s for Atlantic Records, including Love Ballads (1958) and Deep Sea Ball: The Best of Clyde McPhatter (1960). McPhatter’s vocals mixed the influences of rhythm and blues, doo-wop, and the style that would become known as soul. Rolling Stone has credited McPhatter’s work on these albums with directly influencing artists such as Sam Cooke and Smokey Robinson.

After McPhatter left Atlantic, he spent a year recording minor singles at MGM before creating another hit, “Ta Ta” (1960), at Mercury Records, with the help of their noted producer Clyde Otis. McPhatter topped the charts again in 1962 with “Lover Please” and a cover of “Little Bitty Pretty One.” He recorded an album with a social message, Songs of the Big City (1964), in which he explored the Latin sound with which he had experimented at Atlantic. His later work is collected on The Mercury Sessions (1996); McPhatter was dropped from the label in the late 1960’s and soon found work at a smaller imprint, Amy. Although he was never again commercially successful, he produced covers that music critics regard as minor classics, such as his soulful take on “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” (originally recorded by Connie Francis) and “I’m Not Going to Work Today” (made famous by Joe Tex).

McPhatter spent the late 1960’s touring the United Kingdom with the band ICE. During this period, his long history of alcohol abuse began to take a toll on his health. He returned to the United States in 1970 and participated in various revival tours. McPhatter was slated to begin work on an album for release by Decca when he died in his sleep on June 13, 1972, after suffering heart, liver, and kidney failure. He was thirty-nine years old.

Significance

McPhatter’s contribution to popular music has been widely recognized, and in 1987 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the peak of his career, McPhatter enjoyed unrivaled recognition from African American audiences, and he proved one of the first R&B talents to cross over onto the pop charts. His clear, soulful voice proved an inspiration for the following generation of popular singers, both in rock and roll and in soul.

Bibliography

Brackett, Nathan, and Christian Hoard, eds. “Clyde McPhatter.” In The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Fireside, 2004. An engaging, detailed overview of McPhatter’s impact on the music industry.

Escott, Colin. “The Joint Is on Fire.” In All Roots Lead to Rock: Legends of Early Rock ’n’ Roll. New York: Schirmer Books, 1999. One of the longest and most authoritative biographical pieces on McPhatter, Escott’s colorful account of the singer’s life draws heavily on interviews with his friends.

Laing, Dave. “Bill Pinkney: Founder Member of Close Harmony Stars the Drifters.” The Guardian, October 11, 2007. This obituary of Pinkney, the last surviving member of the Drifters, describes the years McPhatter spent in the group, as well as the group’s many personnel changes.