Clyde McPhatter
b. Clyde Lensley McPhatter, 15 November 1932, Durham, North Carolina, USA, d. 13 June 1972. For three years, McPhatter was the lead singer in the seminal R&B vocal group, Billy Ward & His Dominoes. He left in 1953 to form The Drifters, whose early releases were enhanced the singer's emotional, gospel-drenched delivery. In 1954 McPhatter was drafted into the US Army, where he entertained fellow servicemen. Such work prompted a solo career, and the vibrant Seven Days (1956), was followed by several other superb performances, many of which, including Treasure Of Love, Without Love (There Is Nothing) and A Lover's Question, became R&B standards. A hugely influential figure, McPhatter inspired a generation of singers. His work was covered by Elvis Presley, Ry Cooder and Otis Redding, but his departure from the Atlantic label for MGM in 1959 precipitated an artistic decline. Although he scored several minor hits during the early '60s, arguably his finest work was the US Top 10 hit Lover Please in 1962. Its follow-up Little Bitty Pretty One became standard fodder for many UK beat groups in the early '60s (recorded by The Paramounts). The singer became increasingly overshadowed by new performers and his career started to wane in the mid-'60s. Beset by personal problems, he came to Britain in 1968, but left two years later without an appreciable change in fortune. A 1970 album, on Decca, WELCOME HOME, was his last recording. McPhatter, one of R&B's finest voices, died from a heart attack as a result of alcohol abuse in 1972.