The Cleftones
Encyclopedia
The Cleftones were a doo-wop
group from Queens, New York. They were formed in 1955 at Jamaica High School
. The group consisted of Herbie Cox (lead), Charlie (McGhee) James (first tenor), Berman Patterson, (second tenor), William McClane (baritone), and Warren Corbin (bass). They were originally called The Silvertones. Initial charted hits by the group started in 1955, "You Baby You", "Little Girl of Mine", and "Can't We Be Sweethearts". In 1961 the 2nd generation of The Cleftones produced hits consisting of members Herb Cox, Charlie James, Warren Corbin, Gene Pearson, and Pat Spann. Pat was the first and only female to sing with the group.
They reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
with "Heart and Soul", followed by "For Sentimental Reasons". The recordings were released on the Gee & Roulette Record labels.
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
group from Queens, New York. They were formed in 1955 at Jamaica High School
Jamaica High School (New York City)
Jamaica High School is a four-year public high school in Queens, New York. The school is administered by the New York City Department of Education.-History:...
. The group consisted of Herbie Cox (lead), Charlie (McGhee) James (first tenor), Berman Patterson, (second tenor), William McClane (baritone), and Warren Corbin (bass). They were originally called The Silvertones. Initial charted hits by the group started in 1955, "You Baby You", "Little Girl of Mine", and "Can't We Be Sweethearts". In 1961 the 2nd generation of The Cleftones produced hits consisting of members Herb Cox, Charlie James, Warren Corbin, Gene Pearson, and Pat Spann. Pat was the first and only female to sing with the group.
They reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
with "Heart and Soul", followed by "For Sentimental Reasons". The recordings were released on the Gee & Roulette Record labels.
Songs featured in selected films
- "My Angel Lover" appeared in the film Susie QSusie Q (film)Susie Q is a 1995 Super RTL Original movie that aired on Disney Channel frequently in the late 1990s. Justin Whalin, Amy Jo Johnson and Shelley Long starred...
. - "Little Girl of Mine" appeared in the film A Bronx TaleA Bronx TaleA Bronx Tale is a 1993 American crime drama film set in The Bronx during the turbulent era of the 1960s. It was the directorial debut of Robert De Niro, and follows a young Italian-American teenager as his path in life is guided by two father figures, played by De Niro and Chazz Palminteri...
. - "Lover Boy" appeared in the film Drive.
- "Heart and Soul" appeared in the film American GraffitiAmerican GraffitiAmerican Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
. - "Can't We Be Sweethearts" appeared in the film GoodfellasGoodfellasGoodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
. - "Heart and Soul" appeared in the film MischiefMischiefMischief is a vexatious or annoying action, or, conduct or activity that playfully causes petty annoyance. Young children, when they hear of mischief, think of practical jokes....
.