Clyde McPhatter : Deep Sea Ball: The Best Of Clyde McPhatter

DOES SHE LOVE ME,

WITH ALL HER HEART

SHOULD I WORRY

WHEN WE'RE APART 

IT'S A LOVER'S QUESTION

I'D LIKE TO KNOW...

Clyde Lensley McPhatter

 (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) 

was an American

 rhythm and blues, 

soul, 

and

 rock and roll singer. 

He was one of the

 most widely imitated

 R&B singers

 of the 1950s 

and early 1960s

and was

 a key figure

 in the shaping of 

doo-wop and R&B.

McPhatter's

 high-pitched 

tenor voice 

was steeped in

 the gospel music

 he sang in much 

of his early life. 

He was the lead tenor 

of the

 Mount Lebanon Singers,

 a gospel group 

he formed as a teenager.

 He was later the lead tenor

 of 

Billy Ward and his Dominoes 

and was largely responsible

 for the initial success 

of the group. 

After his tenure with

 the Dominoes, 

McPhatter formed 

his own group,

 the Drifters,

 and later worked 

as a solo performer. 

Only Just 39  Years Old

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."

McPhatter left a legacy 

of over 22 years 

of recording history. 

He was the first artist

 to be inducted twice 

into the

 Rock and Roll 

Hall of Fame, 

first as a 

solo artist 

and later as a

 member of 

the Drifters.

 Subsequent double 

and triple inductees

 into the 

Rock and Roll

 Hall of Fame 

are said to be members

 of the

 "Clyde McPhatter Club".

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