Biography of Clyde McPhatter

Along with Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter was one of the most influential and important vocalists to emerge in the '50s. His unusually high, muscular vocals brought gospel fervor and sexual passion to the early-'50s hits of Billy Ward's Dominoes, with whom McPhatter cut the showstopping "Have Mercy Baby" and "The Bells." Ahmet Ertegun signed him to Atlantic in 1953, after McPhatter and Ward parted company, and assembled The Drifters around his gorgeous soprano. His solo career began in 1955, while he was serving in the Army; "Treasure of Love," "Without Love," and "A Lover's Question" were his best solo hits. He had some minor success with Mercury in the '60s but died in obscurity in 1972. ~ John Floyd

Biography of The Drifters

The Drifters were the longest-lasting of the '50s doo-wop groups simply because they were the best. What other vocal group from those days produced such 20th-century marvels as Clyde McPhatter and Ben E. King? What other group survived numerous personnel changes and changes in audience tastes, keeping their name in the charts for 12 straight years? Doo-wop is certainly full of mythological groups, celebrated as much for their obscurity as their music; The Drifters are the group that turned the myth into fact.Clyde McPhatter was already an R&B star when Atlantic's Ahmet Ertegun signed him in 1953, thanks to his work with Billy Ward's Dominoes. After leaving them, McPhatter assembled a group to support his glorious, soaring vocals, and in 1953 The Drifters landed their first hit with Jesse Stone's "Money Honey." A slew of meticulously recorded classics followed: "Let the Boogie Woogie Roll," "Such a Night," "Honey Love," and "White Christmas" are among the best. McPhatter took off for a solo career in 1954 but was amply replaced by Johnny Moore, who was on hand when the group recorded three of their finest songs: "Ruby Baby," "Your Promise to Be Mine," and "Adorable."Drifters manager George Threadwell disbanded the group in 1958 and found an ensemble called The Crowns, who had a lead singer named Ben E. King; a new Drifters was born. Under the wings of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, this new outfit established their own identity in 1959 with the Latin-tinged "There Goes My Baby," a tour de force for King and the first R&B song to include strings, which ushered in a new era of Black music, known as soul. King departed in 1960, but thanks to a string of songs written by the likes of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, the Drifters, with Rudy Lewis and Johnny Moore taking leads, became a veritable hit factory. "Save the Last Dance for Me," "On Broadway," "Up on the Roof," and "This Magic Moment" all helped define the sound of soul music and define an era, with their tugging romanticism, dancing strings, and musical innovation and sophistication. ~ John Floyd