Clyde McPhatter

One of the Smoothest Voices of the 1950’s

by Erika Cox

Clyde McPhatter had one of the sweetest voices of all time, his voice was among the great balladeer voices; Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson in the 50’s, Smokey Robinson and Harold Melvin in the 60’s, and Teddy Pendergrass in the 70’s.

Clyde McPhatter was born on November 15, 1932 in Durham, North Carolina. He was raised in a religious Baptist and musical family. His father was a preacher, his mother was the organist at the family’s church, and McPhatter sang as a young boy in the church choir. His family moved to New Jersey where McPhatter joined a popular gospel group called the Mount Lebanon Singers.

In 1950, Billy Ward organized what is considered the first Rhythm and Gospel group the Dominoes, although Ward didn’t sing in the group (he was the group’s manager) he would later name the group after himself as Billy Ward and the Dominoes. Ward heard McPhatter singing and liked what he heard. Like many Black singers, McPhatter made the move from gospel to secular music when he became the lead singer of the Dominoes.

The group signed with King Records under the name of Billy Ward and the Dominoes starting off as a Rhythm and Gospel group singing many gospel-based songs with a change in the words and titles of the songs to a more secular meaning.

However, in 1951 the group recorded its popular song “Sixty Minute Man”, which obviously was not gospel based. The song became the biggest R&B hit of 1951 and was one of the first Rock and Roll records, even though the term “Rock and Roll” had not yet been created, by a Black group to crossover from the R&B charts to the Pop charts. It was actually one of the first Rock and Roll songs to be recorded.

McPhatter stayed with the group for three years making hit after hit and performing non-stop. However, throughout all of their success the group was still officially Billy Ward and the Dominoes and being billed as such. This, of course, was a big problem for Clyde McPhatter as it would be for anyone. As proven later on, McPhatter and his voice was the main attraction of the group and contributed to the group’s success, yet Billy Ward’s name was showcased and he was collecting all of the profits. Not to mention, Ward’s voice was less than desirable.

So in 1953, McPhatter upset with the group’s name and finances, decided to leave the security and success of the Dominoes and try his luck with another group.

Ahmert Ertegun, owner of Atlantic Records, found out about McPhatters’ availability and quickly signed him to a contract to be the lead singer of a new group called The Drifters. With McPhatter as the lead singer, the Drifters took off and became very successful. McPhatters’ career blossomed even more when the Drifter’s song “Money Honey” became the biggest R&B hit of 1954.

While the Drifters found success the Dominoes success declined considerably without McPhatter. In 1954, McPhatter received his draft notice but was able to stay in the United States to record, yet by this time McPhatter and the group were moving in different directions and he eventually left the Drifters to seek a solo career that combined Pop, R&B, and Rock and Roll into his sound.

McPhatter went on to record songs with several getting into the Top of the charts but his attempts to make a song with cross over appeal was undermined by the unscrupulous covering of songs done back in those days. White artists covered his best songs and received most of the success preventing McPhatter to truly get the success he deserved. Despite this, McPhatter was still very much popular with White audiences and continued to record songs producing a few minor hits. In the 1960’s, however, due to his alcoholism McPhatter was unable to keep up with the changing times and his professional and personal life suffered preventing him from remaining in the spotlight.

McPhatter died in 1972 from a fatal heart attack at the young age of 38. McPhatter’s legacy continued. He defined the Rhythm and Gospel sound and was a major influence to many singers including Ben E. King (who replaced McPahatter with the Drifters), Jackie Wilson (who briefly took his place with the Dominoes), Somkey Robinson, Sam Cooke and many more.

As one of the pioneers in the mixture of music genres, McPhatter had opened the way for artists like Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke. Clyde McPhatter was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame recognized his pioneering efforts.

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