Search - Clyde Mcphatter :: Lover Please: The Complete MGM & Mercury Singles

When the topic of the first soul music recording or most influential R&B singer of the `50s comes up, one name should emerge, but often doesn't: Clyde McPhatter. North Carolina-born McPhatter's wailing, gospel-charged lead tenor vocal on Billy Ward's Dominoes' "Have Mercy Baby" in 1952 predates every other recording cited as the first soul record, and everyone from Frankie Lymon to Smokey Robinson, from Gary U.S. Bonds to Aaron Neville have acknowledged the singer's omnipresent influence. His lead vocals have graced #1 R&B hits by Ward's Dominoes and The Drifters ("Money Honey,""Such A Night") as well as such solo smashes as "Treasure Of Love" and "A Lover's Question." And he's in the Rock `n' Roll Hall Of Fame. So it might come as a surprise that the period (1959 to 1965) of this legend's recording career that includes his biggest pop hit ("Lover Please"), his Top 25 take on "Little Bitty Pretty One," as well as his final Top 10 R&B hits ("TA TA" and "Deep In The Heart Of Harlem"), would be well-documented. Up until this collection, it has not, and now that oversight has been corrected. Simply, the recordings here reinforce McPhatter's status as one of the greatest voices of the `50s and `60s, while showcasing his extreme versatility - deeply stirring ballads, light-hearted pop, rollicking rock `n' roll, and sumptuous uptown soul, with an all-star lineup including Clyde Otis, Ray Ellis, and Shelby Singleton in the producer's chair. The 44 tracks on Lover Please / The Complete MGM and Mercury Singles feature Clyde's takes on classics "(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over" and "The Glory Of Love," plus songs penned by such notables as Brook Benton, Otis Blackwell, Charles Singleton, Neil Sedaka and the singer himself. Lover Please /The Complete MGM and Mercury Singles also includes extensive liner notes by Bill Dahl, song by song credits, and period photos and recording memorabilia.