Cat. No. VV 1308: THE CLEFTONES ~ THE CLEFTONES FEAT. HERBIE COX. TONE RECORDS C 25 290.
USED VINYL RECORD. PART OF A COLLECTION NOW UP FOR SALE.
THE CLEFTONES WERE FORMED IN 1955 AND WERE ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS THE SILVERTONES. ALL MEMBERS ATTENDED JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 40 IN JAMAICA, QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY. THE GROUP INITIALLY FORMED AROUND THE IDEA OF WRITING A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN JINGLE FOR JAMAICA HIGH SCHOOL'S INDEPENDENT PARTY WHICH INCLUDED FUTURE MEMBERS OF THE CLEFTONES. THE GROUP CONSISTED OF HERBIE COX (LEAD SINGER), CHARLIE JAMES McGHEE (FIRST TENOR), BERMAN PATTERSON (SECOND TENOR), WARREN CORBIN (BASS) AND WILLIAM "BUZZY" McCLANE (BARITONE). AFTER SOME THOUGHT THE GROUP CHANGED THE LYRICS TO "GEE", A THEN POPULAR RHYTHM AND BLUES SONG BY THE CROWS. THE GROUP BEGAN PERFORMING AS THE SILVERTONES IN A VARIETY OF NEIGHBOURHOOD CONCERTS. THE GROUP WAS SIGNED TO A RECORDING CONTRACT IN 1955 BY GEORGE GOLDNER WHO RENAMED THE GROUP THE CLEFTONES.
IN THEIR FIRST EFFORT AS PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS, CORBIN AND PATTERSON WROTE "YOU BABY YOU" WHICH BECAME A HIT IN 1955. HERB COX THEN WROTE "LITTLE GIRL OF MINE" AND "CAN'T WE BE SWEETHEARTS" FOR THE GROUP. HOWEVER, AFTER A FEW MINOR HITS THEIR NEXT MAJOR HITS WOULD NOT COME UNTIL YEARS LATER. IN 1961, THE SECOND GENERATION OF THE CLEFTONES INCLUDED HERB COX, CHARLIE JAMES, WARREN CORBIN, GENE PEARSON AND A NEW ADDITION PAT SPANN, THE FIRST AND ONLY FEMALE TO SING WITH THE GROUP. IN 1961, THEY REACHED NUMBER 18 ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART WITH "HEART AND SOUL", A RE-ARRANGEMENT OF THE 1938 SONG OF THE SAME NAME. THE GROUP FOLLOWED THAT SONG WITH "FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS" (1962). HOWEVER, THE BRITISH INVASION OF THE MID-1960s TOOK THE AUDIENCE OF THE CLEFTONES AND OTHER DOO-WOP GROUPS. GENE PEARSON LEFT TO SING WITH THE DRIFTERS FROM 1962 TO 1966. THE CLEFTONES BROKE UP IN 1964.
THE SLEEVE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH ONLY MINOR SIGNS OF WEAR AND THE RECORD IS GRADED AS NEAR MINT.
TRACK LISTING: Side 1 - You Baby You / Heart And Soul / Little Girl Of Mine / Please Say You Want Me / Since We Fell In Love / For Sentimental Reasons / After The Dance / Happy Memories / Why Do You Like Me Like You Do. Side 2 - Can't We Be Sweethearts / She's So Fine / See You Next Year / Lover Boy / Earth Angel / Neki-Hokey / Ten Pairs Of Shoes / String Around My Heart / You're Driving Me Mad.
12" VINYL RECORD
