Clyde Lensley McPhatter (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) was an American R&B, soul and rock n' roll singer. He was immensely influential, 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." At the time of his passing, 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 triple inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are said to be members of "The Clyde McPhatter Club."
A music video for "I Win" was released online to coincide with the album's release. This was the first video the band released since the video for "I Like Your Photographs", from the 2001 album Leave Here a Stranger.
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
Without Love (There Is Nothing) · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1956 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Conductor: Ray Ellis
Writer: Danny Small
Arranger: Ray Ellis
Auto-generated by YouTube.
published: 08 Nov 2014
Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters - Money Honey (1953)
The 1st single by the Original Drifters with Clyde McPhatter in 1953. The Drifters would go on to have a rotating volume of talent go in and out of the band over the next 50 years.
This is for listening enjoyment only...please purchase this and many other Drifters recordings at any retail store or online.
published: 14 Apr 2012
Clyde McPhatter - TREASURE OF LOVE
Clyde McPhatter - TREASURE OF LOVE #16 in 1956 Atlantic Records. Born November 15, 1932, Durham, North Carolina. Died of a heart attack June 13, 1972 (age 39). Signed by Billy Ward for the Dominoes in 1950. June 1953 formed his own group, The Drifters. One of the most influential and distinctive male voices of the early R&B vocal group era.
published: 12 Jun 2010
Little Bitty Pretty One
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Little Bitty Pretty One · Clyde McPhatter · The Merry Melody Singers
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Conductor: Jerry Kennedy
Producer: Shelby Singleton
Composer Lyricist: Curtis Ousley
Auto-generated by YouTube.
published: 28 Jul 2018
A Lover's Question
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
A Lover's Question · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1958 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Drums: Benton Evans
Guitar: Carl Lynch
Piano: Cliff Smalls
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Conductor: Howard Biggs
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Tenor Saxophone: King Curtis
Bass Guitar: Milt Hinton
Guitar: Sal Salvador
Writer: Brook Benton
Writer: Jimmy Williams
Auto-generated by YouTube.
published: 08 Nov 2014
Lover Please
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Lover Please · Clyde McPhatter
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Composer Lyricist: Billy Swan
Auto-generated by YouTube.
published: 28 Jul 2018
The Drifters ft. Clyde McPhatter - White Christmas (Atlantic Records 1954)
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time. Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. He often stayed up all night writing — he told his secretary, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where those treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the sn...
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
Without Love (There Is Nothing) · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1956 Atlantic Recording...
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
Without Love (There Is Nothing) · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1956 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Conductor: Ray Ellis
Writer: Danny Small
Arranger: Ray Ellis
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
Without Love (There Is Nothing) · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1956 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Conductor: Ray Ellis
Writer: Danny Small
Arranger: Ray Ellis
Auto-generated by YouTube.
The 1st single by the Original Drifters with Clyde McPhatter in 1953. The Drifters would go on to have a rotating volume of talent go in and out of the band ove...
The 1st single by the Original Drifters with Clyde McPhatter in 1953. The Drifters would go on to have a rotating volume of talent go in and out of the band over the next 50 years.
This is for listening enjoyment only...please purchase this and many other Drifters recordings at any retail store or online.
The 1st single by the Original Drifters with Clyde McPhatter in 1953. The Drifters would go on to have a rotating volume of talent go in and out of the band over the next 50 years.
This is for listening enjoyment only...please purchase this and many other Drifters recordings at any retail store or online.
Clyde McPhatter - TREASURE OF LOVE #16 in 1956 Atlantic Records. Born November 15, 1932, Durham, North Carolina. Died of a heart attack June 13, 1972 (age 39...
Clyde McPhatter - TREASURE OF LOVE #16 in 1956 Atlantic Records. Born November 15, 1932, Durham, North Carolina. Died of a heart attack June 13, 1972 (age 39). Signed by Billy Ward for the Dominoes in 1950. June 1953 formed his own group, The Drifters. One of the most influential and distinctive male voices of the early R&B vocal group era.
Clyde McPhatter - TREASURE OF LOVE #16 in 1956 Atlantic Records. Born November 15, 1932, Durham, North Carolina. Died of a heart attack June 13, 1972 (age 39). Signed by Billy Ward for the Dominoes in 1950. June 1953 formed his own group, The Drifters. One of the most influential and distinctive male voices of the early R&B vocal group era.
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Little Bitty Pretty One · Clyde McPhatter · The Merry Melody Singers
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Sing...
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Little Bitty Pretty One · Clyde McPhatter · The Merry Melody Singers
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Conductor: Jerry Kennedy
Producer: Shelby Singleton
Composer Lyricist: Curtis Ousley
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Little Bitty Pretty One · Clyde McPhatter · The Merry Melody Singers
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Conductor: Jerry Kennedy
Producer: Shelby Singleton
Composer Lyricist: Curtis Ousley
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
A Lover's Question · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1958 Atlantic Recording Corporation
...
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
A Lover's Question · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1958 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Drums: Benton Evans
Guitar: Carl Lynch
Piano: Cliff Smalls
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Conductor: Howard Biggs
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Tenor Saxophone: King Curtis
Bass Guitar: Milt Hinton
Guitar: Sal Salvador
Writer: Brook Benton
Writer: Jimmy Williams
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
A Lover's Question · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1958 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Drums: Benton Evans
Guitar: Carl Lynch
Piano: Cliff Smalls
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Conductor: Howard Biggs
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Tenor Saxophone: King Curtis
Bass Guitar: Milt Hinton
Guitar: Sal Salvador
Writer: Brook Benton
Writer: Jimmy Williams
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Lover Please · Clyde McPhatter
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music G...
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Lover Please · Clyde McPhatter
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Composer Lyricist: Billy Swan
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Lover Please · Clyde McPhatter
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Composer Lyricist: Billy Swan
Auto-generated by YouTube.
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version su...
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time. Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. He often stayed up all night writing — he told his secretary, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where those treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow, the snow.
Then, I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.
I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.
I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells all the way.
Ooooh.
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time. Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. He often stayed up all night writing — he told his secretary, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where those treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow, the snow.
Then, I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.
I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.
I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells all the way.
Ooooh.
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
Without Love (There Is Nothing) · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1956 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Conductor: Ray Ellis
Writer: Danny Small
Arranger: Ray Ellis
Auto-generated by YouTube.
The 1st single by the Original Drifters with Clyde McPhatter in 1953. The Drifters would go on to have a rotating volume of talent go in and out of the band over the next 50 years.
This is for listening enjoyment only...please purchase this and many other Drifters recordings at any retail store or online.
Clyde McPhatter - TREASURE OF LOVE #16 in 1956 Atlantic Records. Born November 15, 1932, Durham, North Carolina. Died of a heart attack June 13, 1972 (age 39). Signed by Billy Ward for the Dominoes in 1950. June 1953 formed his own group, The Drifters. One of the most influential and distinctive male voices of the early R&B vocal group era.
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Little Bitty Pretty One · Clyde McPhatter · The Merry Melody Singers
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Conductor: Jerry Kennedy
Producer: Shelby Singleton
Composer Lyricist: Curtis Ousley
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Rhino Atlantic
A Lover's Question · Clyde McPhatter
Deep Sea Ball - The Best Of Clyde McPhatter
℗ 1958 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Producer: Ahmet Ertegun
Drums: Benton Evans
Guitar: Carl Lynch
Piano: Cliff Smalls
Vocals: Clyde McPhatter
Conductor: Howard Biggs
Producer: Jerry Wexler
Tenor Saxophone: King Curtis
Bass Guitar: Milt Hinton
Guitar: Sal Salvador
Writer: Brook Benton
Writer: Jimmy Williams
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
Lover Please · Clyde McPhatter
Lover Please/The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles
℗ 1962 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Released on: 2010-01-01
Composer Lyricist: Billy Swan
Auto-generated by YouTube.
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time. Accounts vary as to when and where Berlin wrote the song. One story is that he wrote it in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. He often stayed up all night writing — he told his secretary, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!"
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
Ooh
Doop doop, doop doo doop
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where those treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow, the snow.
Then, I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.
I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the treetops glisten, and children listen,
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.
I-I-I am dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells all the way.
Ooooh.
Clyde Lensley McPhatter (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) was an American R&B, soul and rock n' roll singer. He was immensely influential, 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." At the time of his passing, 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 triple inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are said to be members of "The Clyde McPhatter Club."
A dog barking at the crack of dawn A baby's crying 'cause his mama's gone I toss and turn and then I stretch and yawn Another morning, another day In the heart of Harlem I feel the tenement coming alive Another working day I've gotta survive Fighting the foreman from 8:30 till 5 To make a dollar so I can live In the heart of Harlem I pitch and kick and Get my feelings hurt downtown I'm just a little spoke That helps the wheel go round If I was rich, maybe I'd move away Out to the country where my kids could play But I can't make it on my poor man's pay We gotta stay here, can't get away Get away from Harlem If I was rich, maybe I'd move away Out to the country where my kids could play But I can't make it on my poor man's pay We gotta stay here, can't get away Get away from Harlem Deep, deep in the heart of Harlem So deep, so deep, so deep