One of the apotheoses of 20th Century music was during the 1950s-60s when the vocal style of doo wop hit the airwaves. Street corner symphonies produced by urban artists, usually black or Italian, created crooning melodies and gorgeous harmonies that served as a perfect backdrop to cruising in your car or heading to the local burger joint/malt shop.
One of the best groups was The Cleftones, consisting of Jamaica High School classmates Herbie Cox/lead, Charlie James McGhee/ten, Berman Patterson/ten, William “Buzzy” McClane/bar and Warren Corbin/bass. This two disc set comprises their anthology of singles and “B” sides, showing their ascent to fame and influence to other groups that were influenced by them in their wake. Their first single, “You Baby You” form 1955 became a big hit and epitomizes their allure, with rich velvet support under Cox’s lyrics. Other pieces such as “Little Girl of Mine,” Why Do You Do Me Like You Do” and “See You Next Year” from 55-56 became pretty popular, but it wasn’t until the re-arrangement of the Larry Clinton Big Band song “Heart and Soul” in 1961 that they sealed their fame and fortune.
So iconic are a number of these tunes that they were featured in films, as “Can’t We Be Sweethearts” appeared in Goodfellas, “Little Girl of Mine” was in A Bronx Tale” and “Heart and Soul” was in both American Graffiti and Mischief. Sometimes songs define the times, and the Cleftones did that as well as transcending them.