Sunday Rhythm and Blues Show Celebrating the 2023 Birthday of the Legendary Clyde McPhatter and R&B Pioneer Superstar Little Willie John

by Robert Wilkinson

November 15 was the birthday of two phenomenal pioneering music talents! Clyde McPhatter was the original voice of the Drifters over 65 years ago. He was one of the greatest R&B singers ever to hit a note, his voice was all over the airwaves in the late 50s doo-wop era, and he inspired a thousand imitators. Little Willie John blazed his trail during the era when Clyde was making the charts, and is considered one of the premier R&B stars of the mid-to late 50s. Neither one lived to see 40 years old.

We’ll begin with a piece on Clyde from Wikipedia, “Clyde McPhatter (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) was... 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.... 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." 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/or triple inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are said to be members of "The Clyde McPhatter Club."

”Chancellor of Soul” Mike Boone calls Clyde “one of the greatest pioneers of essential falsetto singing during the genesis of the Doo-wop era. A gentlemen, (his) unique angelic voice inspired a generation of future of R&B/Pop artists…” Billy Ward made him the front man for the Dominos in 1950, and he helped create 8 Top 10 R&B hits over the next few years. He mentored the legendary Jackie Wilson as the next front man for the Dominos when launching his solo career. The Ahmet Ertegun signed him on Atlantic, where he was the original front man for The Drifters."

Here are some of his best!

This is the only "live" footage I could find, courtesy of Alan Freed's 1957 "juke box" movie, Mister Rock and Roll! From that movie, Clyde McPhatter performing his 1957 hit, "Rock and Cry" and “You’ll Be There”

With Bobby Darin on tv in 1960, Clyde cranking out “Have Mercy Baby”

When he was still with the Dominos, this one went to #1 on the charts in 1951 and is considered one of the first rock and roll songs! "Sixty Minute Man."

From 1953 with the Drifters, “Money Honey” and “Such A Night.”

From 1954, “Honey Love” and “Someday (You’ll Want Me To Want You)”

Also from 1954, “Lucille” and “Such A Night” (“Lucille” is not the Little Richard tune!)

This is the last hit he had with the original Drifters, “Whatcha Gonna Do”

Clyde and Ruth Brown took this one to #8 R&B in December 1955! “Love Has Joined Us Together”

From 1956, this one went to #2 R&B and #44 pop! “Seven Days”

Though he recorded this in 1954 when he was in the Army, when it was released in 1956 it went to #1 R&B and hit #16 on the pop charts! “Treasure of Love”

He kicked off 1957 with this one which went to #4 R&B and #19 on the pop charts. “Without Love (There Is Nothing)”

From 1957, another #1 R&B hit! “Long Lonely Nights”

From 1958, his biggest hit of his solo career, the #1 chart topping “A Lover’s Question”

From 1959, Clyde McPhatter rocking to a Neil Sedaka tune “Since You’ve Been Gone”

From 1960, Clyde knocking out 4 tunes. The first one (“Ta Ta”) went to #23 on the pop charts and #7 on the R&B charts! “Ta Ta (Just Like A Baby),” “What’s Love to Me,” “Not Me,” and “I’ll Stop Anything I’m Doing”

From 1961, Clyde McPhatter getting upbeat bloozy in a tune derived from “Fever.” “I’ll Love You Till The Cows Come Home”

From 1962, his last top 10 hit that went to #7 on the pop charts, the danceable “Lover Please”

Also from 1962, Clyde’s version of the Bobby Day (who also wrote “Rockin’ Robin”) smash hit, “Little Bitty Pretty One”

From the same year, the very twistable “Pretty Girls Everywhere”

From that era, here’s Clyde McPhatter’s version of the Ben E King classic, “Spanish Harlem”

From the 1964 album Live at the Apollo, a live audio performance of “Without Love (I Am Nothing)” and “Baby Baby”

From the 1961 album Golden Blues Hits, Clyde struttin’ to a New Orleans rocker with Herbert Hardesty, King Curtis or Boots Randolph on sax, “I’m Gonna Be A Wheel Someday”

Here’s Clyde’s last chart entry that went to #22 on the R&B charts. From 1965, “Crying Won’t Help You Now”

An audio history! From The Soul Facts Show, The Clyde McPhatter Story – pt.1 (12+ min)

and The Clyde McPhatter Story – pt.2 (12+ min)

RIP, Soul Man Number One. You died way too young but your beautiful voice will last forever.

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William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an early R&B and rock and roll singer who broke into the charts in 1955 and hit the big time by 1956 when he recorded “Fever,” which has since become an American standard. And yes, he made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 20 years ago, he was that influential! He sang with Count Basie, and blazed the trail in Detroit for all the great soul and R&B acts on Motown, birthing the "soul music" era of the 60s.

A short man with a shorter fuse on a highly volatile temper, he led a quick and tragic life and died at 30 in a penitentiary under some mysterious circumstances. But for a few years, he was all over the charts and flying high! His tunes have been covered by Peggy Lee, the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, and others, and his influence on rock and roll cannot be overestimated. For your enjoyment, a few from Little Willie John!

Here was his first! “All Around the World” (1955 – R&B #5)

His biggest hit! “Fever” (1956 - Pop #24 & R&B #1)

Here’s the version Peggy Lee took to #1 in 1958! On live television, she grooves out as only she could! “Fever” Here’s another live performance from 1984! “Fever”

Written by his older brother, he had another hit with “Need Your Love So Bad” (1956 - R&B #5)

I found 2 more great versions! First, Peter Green’s original Fleetwood Mac performing it live! “Need Your Love So Bad” Which we’ll follow with Joe Cocker’s album version of “Need Your Love So Bad”

Another big one from Little Willie John! “Talk to Me, Talk to Me” (1958 - Pop #20 & R&B #5)

Also from 1958, “Tell It Like It Is” (1958 – R&B #12)

We have the blues! From 1961, “You Hurt Me.”

He had another hit with “Sleep” (1960 – Pop #13 & R&B #10). Here’s the flip side, a great tune on its own! “There’s A Difference”

We’ll close this brief tribute with another hit from 1959 called “Leave My Kitten Alone.” (1959 - Pop #60 & R&B #13). Yes, this is the same tune the Beatles recorded in 1964 for the movie Help but it didn’t get released until 1995. Last year I had takes 4 and 5 from the 1964 recording sessions, with John’s screaming vocals and George’s precision runs. This year it’s gone. This year I also found the cut from Anthology 1 without the false start of take 4 . “Leave My Kitten Alone.” And here’s yet another famous rocker who did a version! This is a rare recording by Jimmy Page of “Leave My Kitten Alone” We’ll close these covers with one by Ray! “Leave My Kitten Alone”

For the encore, I'll go back to the tune he took to the top! "Fever."

Last year I had 20 on a single clip titled R&B Legends Vol.10 - Little Willie John but it’s disappeared. So instead, for this year’s second encore, I found these 15 on one clip. While some of these are upstairs, this just lets you hit “play” and you can cool out for a while! For your enjoyment, 15 Greatest Hits By Little Willie John

Here's a 15 minute tv show featuring an interview discussing the book FEVER: Little Willie John's Fast Life, Mysterious Death, & The Birth Of Soul, where they talk about all the superstars he influenced, from the Four Tops to Marvin Gaye to Stevie Wonder.

RIP, Soul Man Number Two. Like too many of your contemporaries, you died way too young.

© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson

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