The Clovers - Blue Velvet (1955)

US R&B Charts No. 14 (10.12.1955) 18 Weeks

The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s. They had a top 30 US hit in 1959 with the Leiber and Stoller song "Love Potion No. 9".
The group was formed at Armstrong High School, Washington, D.C., in 1946 by Harold Lucas (baritone), Billy Shelton and Thomas Woods. Initially a trio, they expanded to a quartet with the addition of John "Buddy" Bailey (lead) and began calling themselves The Four Clovers. Billy Shelton was replaced by Matthew McQuater (tenor) in 1948. As The Four Clovers, the group started to appear at local amateur music shows including the WWDC amateur hour show hosted by Jack Lowe Endler at the Republic Theatre. This brought them to the attention of a wider audience including Harold Winley (bass) who, after hearing them on WWDC, decided to introduce himself to the group. By the end of 1948 Woods had been replaced by Winley. An introduction to Lou Krefetz, a record sales distributor who became their manager, led to their first recording session for New York's Rainbow Records and the release of one single in November 1950, "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" / "When You Come Back to Me". By the end of 1950 Bill Harris (b. 14 April 1925, Nashville, Tennessee) had joined as their guitarist; his blues- and jazz-inflected playing would become an integral part of their sound. Krefetz then brought them to the attention of Atlantic Records, which signed them in February 1951. The Clovers were immediately booked by the Shaw Artists agency to perform at the Apollo Theater in Harlem starting on 15 February. A week later, on 22 February, they went into the studio for their first recording session for Atlantic, which included the Ahmet Ertegun composition "Don't You Know I Love You"; that song, backed with the standard "Skylark", was their first top-ten R&B hit for the label and remained on the R&B chart for five months. Their second recording session resulted in the release of "Fool, Fool, Fool" in August 1951, which by September had reached #1 on the R&B chart. The Clovers' lead vocalist, Buddy Bailey, was drafted into the army at the end of August 1951 and John Phillip was brought in to replace him. Philip was soon replaced by Charlie White (b. 1930, Washington, DC), who had been in the vocal groups The Dominoes and The Checkers. The tracks "One Mint Julep" (written by Rudy Toombs) and the Ertegun composition "Middle of the Night" (originally released as a 10" vinyl single) were both top ten hits on the R&B chart of May 1952. Their next release, "Ting-A-Ling", peaked at #2 on the Billboard R&B chart (September 1952) and reached #1 on the Billboard Juke Box R&B chart. They followed up this early success with a string of R&B hits, including "Hey Miss Fannie" / "I Played The Fool" (released October 1952), "Good Lovin'" (top ten R&B hit November 1953) and "Little Mama" / "Lovey Dovey" (recorded September 1953 with Charlie White on lead vocals). By the end of 1953 White had been replaced by Billy Mitchell. Buddy Bailey was discharged from the army in May 1954 and rejoined the group. The releases "I've Got My Eyes on You" and "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" (with Billy Mitchell on lead vocals) featured in the top 30 best-selling R&B records of 1954, with "Lovey Dovey" proving to be the most successful Clovers release of that year.

The Clovers waren eine US-amerikanische Rhythm-and-Blues-Vokalgruppe, die in den 1950ern eine Reihe von Hits hatte. Ihr bekanntester Titel ist der Song Love Potion No. 9 aus dem Jahr 1959.
Die Gruppe entstand 1946 an der Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C. Die Gründungsmitglieder waren Harold "Hal" Lucas (Tenor/Bariton), Billy Shelton (Tenor) und Thomas Woods (Bass). Bald schloss sich ihnen John "Buddy" Bailey (Tenor) an, und Lucas übernahm den Bariton.

Vorbilder der Clovers waren Gruppen wie die Orioles und die Ravens. Im Laufe ihrer Karriere gab es etliche Personalwechsel, und die Größe der Gruppe schwankte zwischen Quintett und Trio.
Tippie & the Clovers – Bossa Nova Baby

1950 wurde Lou Krefetz der Manager der Gruppe. Er verschaffte ihnen einen Vertrag mit Rainbow Records, wo sie im November 1950 den Klassiker Yes Sir, That's My Baby produzierten. Im Februar 1951 wechselten sie zu Ahmet Ertegüns Atlantic Records. Die Gruppe bestand zu dieser Zeit aus Harold Lucas Junior, John Bailey, Harold Winley, Matthew McQuarter und dem Gitarristen Bill Harris.
Ihre erste Aufnahmesession bei Atlantic fand am 22. Februar 1951 in den Apex Recording Studios statt, aus der das lebhafte Don't You Know I Love You und die Ballade Skylark hervorgingen. Die hieraus im März 1951 entstandene Single erreichte die Spitzenposition der US-R&B-Charts und wurde über 250.000 Mal verkauft – ein hoher Umsatz für damalige Rhythm-&-Blues-Platten. Der Nachfolgetitel Fool, Fool, Fool (aufgenommen am 12. Juli 1951 in den WHOM-Studios) schaffte ebenfalls die Spitzenposition.

[hrbooksmusic]

Den Song mag ich schon lange, aber diese Aufnahme kannte ich nicht... Ich werde den Link gleich mal meinem Mann schicken; das dürfte ihm auch gefallen! 🌺 🎼🎵🎵🎵🎶🎶 🌺
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