Rocks

-Long overdue two-part documentary on Bear Family dedicated to one of the greatest Gospel, Rhythm & Blues, Soul and Rock & Roll singers: Clyde McPhatter (1932 - 1972). -On 'Clyde McPhatter Rocks' producer Nico Feuerbach has compiled the rousing up-tempo numbers, 'The Ballads Of' is dedicated to the great ballads of the tenor singer. -He was one of the first to fuse the harmony vocals of gospel music with the hot grooves of rhythm 'n' blues and is considered a pioneer of soul music and an outstanding rocker. -'Rocks' collects his best fast recordings from his time with Billy Ward & The Dominoes, the Drifters and from his solo career. -Detailed liner notes by music historian Bill Dahl in the extensive accompanying booklet and - as always with Bear Family - carefully restored recordings in the best possible quality. It's not much of an exaggeration to say that soul music commenced when Clyde McPhatter opened his mouth and let fly. His groundbreaking hybrid of rhythm and blues and gospel as melismatic lead tenor with Billy Ward's Dominoes predated even that of Ray Charles, opening the door to a whole new musical genre. And could Clyde ever rock! Bear Family's new overview of McPhatter's seminal upbeat catalog follows him from his early salad days fronting The Drifters on Atlantic Records, when they hit big on the R&B charts with Money Honey and Honey Love, through his solo Atlantic stormers (A Lover's Question was a huge 1958 seller) and then his splendid M-G-M and Mercury sides (including his '62 smash Lover Please). Backed by stellar studio bands that included sax masters Sam 'The Man' Taylor, King Curtis, and Boots Randolph (who blows up a storm on Clyde's Nashville cover of Fats Domino's I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday), McPhatter was a soul pioneer and a world-class rocker who merits far more credit for his gargantuan contributions than he receives. We have compiled Clyde McPhatter's great ballads on BCD17615 'The Ballads of Clyde McPhatter', the supplemental album.