Clyde McPhatter - The Very Best Of Clyde McPhatter 1953-62 (2023)

Clyde McPhatter was one of the most imitated vocalists to emerge onto the R&B scene during the 1950s, graduating from his background in gospel to become a member of Billy Ward & The Dominoes, and then featured lead singer of The Drifters before embarking on a solo career, with his successful recordings transcending the boundaries of doowop, R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, soul and pop to make him a highly influential figure as other singers followed his lead. This great-value 59-track 2-CD collection comprises selected A&B sides from his releases with The Drifters, plus selected solo A&B sides from his releases during these years on the Atlantic, MGM and Mercury labels, and including duets with Ruth Brown. It features all his 19 hits with the Drifters and as a solo artist during this era, including the R&B No. 1s “Money Honey”, “Honey Love”, “Treasure Of Love”, “Long Lonely Nights” and “A Lover’s Question”, and the Top 5 hits “Such A Night”, “White Christmas”, “Seven Days”, “Without Love”, “Come What May” and “Lover Please”, plus his Top 10 hit with Ruth Brown “Love Has Joined Us Together”. In an all-too-brief career – he died in 1972 at the age of 39 – he made many great records and had a huge impact on the worlds of pop and R&B, and we hope this collection provides a worthy showcase for his distinctive talents.