Clyde McPhatter

Clyde McPhatter
McPhatter in 1959
Background information
Birth name	Clyde Lensley McPhatter
Born	(1932-11-15)November 15, 1932 Durham, North Carolina, United States
Died	June 13, 1972(1972-06-13) (aged 39) The Bronx, New York, United States
Genres	Rock and roll, R&B, soul, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1950–1972
Associated acts	The Mount Lebanon Singers, Billy Ward & the Dominoes, The Drifters

Clyde Lensley McPhatter (November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972) was an American rhythm-and-blues, soul and rock-and-roll singer. He was perhaps the most widely imitated R&B singer of the 1950s and early 1960s and was a key figure in the shaping of doo-wop and R&B. He is best known for his solo hit "A Lover's Question".

His 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 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."

He 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 member of the Drifters and later as a solo artist. Subsequent double and triple inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are said to be members of the "Clyde McPhatter Club."

McPhatter was born in the community of Hayti, in Durham, North Carolina, on November 15, 1932. He was raised in a Baptist family, as the son of the Rev. George McPhatter and his wife Beulah (some accounts refer to her as Eva). Starting at the age of five, he sang in his father's church gospel choir along with his three brothers and three sisters. When he was ten, Clyde was the soprano-voiced soloist for the choir. In 1945, Rev. McPhatter moved his family to Teaneck, New Jersey, where Clyde attended Chelsior High School. He worked part-time as a grocery store clerk and was promoted to shift manager upon graduating high school. The family then relocated to New York City, where Clyde formed a gospel group, the Mount Lebanon Singers.