Golden Hits Of The 60s” 

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CLEFTONES

 “HEART AND SOUL”

(Frank Loesses, Hoagy Carmichael)

Gee 1064

No. 18    June 19, 1961

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In 1955, lead singer Herbie Cox (b. May  6,1939), bass Warren Corbin (b. 1939), first tenor Charlie

James (b. 1940), baritone Wflliam McClain (b. 1938), and second tenor Berman Patterson (b. 1938)

were students at Jamaica High School in Queens.   They all  started working for a student who was

running for school president.   “The idea of  his campaign was to have singing slogans,” Carl explained

to Bim Bam Boom’s Bob Galgano.   “The guys started singing in school and after the elections we just

decided to stay together [calling ourselves the Silvertones].   After our smash success in the school election,

we started doing gigs around the conununity.”

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David Ralnick, a schoolmate,  approached the guys as a pseudo-manager, assuring  them that his father

and some friends had connections in the music business.  Ralnick arranged recording auditions for the

group.  One of these was with George Goldner, the founder of legendary labels like End, Gee, Gone,

Rama, and Roulette.   Goldner  rushed the Cleftones  into the Master-Tone Studios.  “You  Baby  You”

(#78, 1956), their first offering,  clicked, especially in local doo-wop circles.   “Little Girl Of  Mine”

(#57, 1956) did likewise.   “Can’t We  Be Sweethearts,” “String Around My  Heart,” and “Why Do You

Do Me Like You Do,” though quality outings, did not chart nationally.

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“We went into a slump,” CarL recalled. “[The company wanted] a production line of  hits.  They made

no attempt to feed the artists new material.  They  made the next record almost exactly like your last

record, [and] the public lost interest.   We didn’t realize what was happening.”

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Five years of  persistence paid off, though.   The  Cleftones–now comprising  Carl, Corbin, James, Gene

Pearson (baritone), and  Pat Span (second  tenor)–had their most successful recording effort in 1961

with a remake of Larry Clinton’s 1936 chart-topping hit “Heart And Soul.”   Two subsequent

remakes made Billboard’s  Hot 100–Nat “King Cole’s number one hit in 1946, “For Sentimental Reasons”

(#60, 1961) and Paul Whiteman’s number three hit in 1929, “Lover Come Back To Me” (#95,  1962)–but

that was it for one of the era’s finest vocal groups.   Only a few more 45s were pressed.

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After a  final single issued on Ware in 1964 (“He’s Forgotten You”  b/w “Right From The Git Go”), the

Cleftones lapsed into a period  of inactivity.   “We did stop performing  for a couple of years, but we

stayed together always as songwriters and maintained a very close relationship, personally,” Carl told

 Goldmine’s Wayne Jones.   “We’ve always  been very good friends and still are.”

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Gene and Berman now work in law enforcement offices; Charlie works for IBM and Herbie is a computer

programmer.