Location: Pettigrew and Mangum Street in Durham.
County: Durham
Original Date Cast 2026
Clyde Lensley McPhatter was born on November 15, 1932, in Durham, North Carolina, where he grew up in a Baptist household. His early musical experience took place in church, where he participated in the choir from childhood and served as a soprano soloist by age ten. In the mid‑1940s, his family relocated to Teaneck, New Jersey. There he attended school and worked in a grocery store while continuing to engage in musical activities. After graduating, the family moved again to New York City, where McPhatter helped establish the Mount Lebanon Singers, a gospel ensemble active in Harlem.
In 1950 McPhatter won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater and later joined Billy Ward and His Dominoes as lead tenor. He contributed to several recordings that reached national audiences. During his time with the Dominoes, the group recorded titles that drew wide attention within the rhythm and blues market. McPhatter left the group in 1953.
In the same year he signed with Atlantic Records and formed a new vocal group known as The Drifters. The group’s early recordings, including “Money Honey” and other rhythm and blues releases, received national distribution and entered music charts. McPhatter’s tenure with The Drifters continued until late 1954, when he entered military service. Although stationed domestically, he recorded intermittently during his time in the Army. By mid‑1955 he had ended his association with the group and began recording as a solo artist.
Between the mid‑1950s and early 1960s, McPhatter produced a series of recordings that reached both rhythm and blues and pop audiences. Titles such as “Treasure of Love,” “Without Love (There Is Nothing),” and “A Lover’s Question” achieved significant chart positions. His work during this period reflected both gospel‑influenced vocal methods and established rhythm and blues forms. As musical trends shifted over the decade, McPhatter’s commercial presence decreased, and he spent part of this period working in the United Kingdom before returning to the United States.
Throughout his career McPhatter worked in contexts shaped by changes in the recording industry, artist management, and shifting audience preferences. His later years involved reduced activity, health difficulties, and financial instability. McPhatter died on June 13, 1972, in Teaneck, New Jersey, at age thirty‑nine.
McPhatter was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 as a solo artist and in 1988 as a member of The Drifters, the first performer to be honored twice. He was also featured on a 1993 U.S. postal stamp and inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
References:
Boone, Mike. “The Clyde McPhatter Story.” Soulful Facts Show, 2015.
Discogs. “Clyde McPhatter.” Accessed October 20, 2026. https://www.discogs.com/artist/386684-Clyde-McPhatter.
Eder, Bruce. “Clyde McPhatter Biography.” AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/clyde-mcphatter-mn0000154101#biography.
Guralnick, Peter. Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1986.
Hilburn, Robert. “A Look Back at ‘Forgotten Angel’ and a Teenager.” Los Angeles Times, January 1, 1999.
Hill, Michael. “Clyde McPhatter Induction Essay.” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://rockhall.com/inductees/clyde-mcphatter/.
MusicBrainz. “Clyde McPhatter.” 2025.
North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. “Clyde McPhatter Induction.” 2009. https://northcarolinamusichalloffame.org/inductee-item/clyde-mcphatter/.
Open Durham, Preservation Durham. “Clyde McPhatter.” https://www.opendurham.org/people/mcphatter-clyde.
“Singer Clyde McPhatter Dies in New York City.” Jet, June 29, 1972, 53.
United States Postal Service. “Legends of American Music: Clyde McPhatter.” 1993. https://about.usps.com/who/profile/history/african-american-stamp-subjects.htm.
Warner, Jay. American Singing Groups: A History from 1940 to Today. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2006.