American singer Clyde Lensley McPhatter sang rock & roll, soul, and rhythm and blues. He was born on November 15, 1932, and died on June 13, 1972. He was a significant contributor to the development of doo-wop and R&B and one of the most frequently imitated R&B singers of the 1950s and early 1960s.
The evangelical music McPhatter sang for a large portion of his early life had a profound influence on his high-pitched tenor voice. He founded the gospel group the Mount Lebanon Singers as a young man and served as its lead tenor.
Where did Clyde McPhatter go to college and high school?
Rev. McPhatter’s family relocated to Teaneck, New Jersey, in 1945, where Clyde enrolled at Chelsior High School.
After graduating from high school, he took a job as a part-time grocery shop clerk and was later elevated to shift manager. The family next moved to New York City, where Clyde founded the Mount Lebanon Singers, a gospel ensemble.
In 1970, McPhatter made a few appearances on rock and roll revival tours but otherwise led a solitary life.
When he passed away in his sleep on June 13, 1972, at the age of 39, from complications of heart, liver, and kidney disease brought on by alcohol abuse—behaviour fueled by a failed career and resentment he harboured toward the fans he felt deserted him—hopes for a significant comeback with a Decca album were dashed.
I have no fans, McPhatter claimed in an interview with writer Marcia Vance. He passed away in the Bronx, New York, at 1165 East 229th Street, where he shared a home with Bertha M. Reid. As he made a return, they were on the road together.
