U.S. #2726
29¢ Clyde McPhatter
Legends of American Music
Issue Date: June 16, 1993
City: Cleveland, OH or Santa Monica, CA
Quantity: 14,285,715
Printed By: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: 10
Color: Multicolored
When Clyde McPhatter joined Billy Ward and the Dominoes in 1950, he began a music career that would eventually lead to him becoming one of the biggest names of the rhythm & blues era. In 1953, he left the band to form his own group, the “Drifters.”
So called, because all of the members had drifted from one group to another before joining together, the Drifters became one of the most popular groups in the rhythm & blues field. Although he is best known as the leader of the Drifters, McPhatter actually recorded most of his best work as a solo artist.
He went into the Army in 1955, and the following year was discharged. However, rather than returning to the Drifters, he chose instead to concentrate on working as a soloist. His recordings of “Seven Days” and “Treasure of Love” became national pop hits, and helped him gain acceptance among white audiences, as well as the traditional rhythm & blues audience.
In 1958, he achieved his greatest success with his recording of “A Lover’s Question”, which climbed to the number one spot on the U.S. singles chart, selling more than one million copies. He toured widely during 1958 and 1959, and in 1968 his albums were re-released in England as part of a rock “revival.”