The Clovers were one of the most successful music groups of the 1950's, with a chart career that spanned the decade. Between 1951 and 1959 they had three #1 hits on the R'n'B charts, four #2 hits and 11 other top ten hits. Their influential combination of vocal group stylings with jump blues, gospel and swing made them one of the earliest and most important R'n'B bands, and gives them a claim to be one of the earliest rock 'n' roll bands.
They began in the halls of Washington D.C.'s Armstrong High School, a long-gone institution in the Shaw neighborhood where Duke Ellington once studied design and art. The group was formed in 1946, with Harold "Hal" Lucas recruiting high school classmates, all from the neighborhood around 7th and T streets NW. The original members were tenor Thomas Woods, bass Billy Shelton, and Lucas. When John "Buddy" Bailey came on board as lead, Lucas moved to baritone. Lucas, hoping for good luck, called his group the Four Clovers and they began playing the local club scene, singing songs by the Ink Spots, the Ravens, the Charioteers and local heroes the Orioles.
By 1949, second tenor Matthew McQuarter had replaced Thomas Woods, and Harold Winley had replaced Billy Shelton. McQuarter joined when he passed the Clovers rehearsing on the street as he was walking home from football practice at Howard University. McQuarter noticed some bad harmonies and stopped to give pointers, using his church choir experience. He was invited into the group soon thereafter.
One of their regular gigs was at the Old Rose Social Club, an old bootlegging joint from the '20s, where they sang for free just for the experience. They even became janitors of the place so as to have a place to rehearse. It was at one of the Old Rose performances that Max "Waxie Maxie" Silverman saw them. A record store owner and a silent partner in the newly formed Atlantic Records company, Silverman liked what he saw. A friend of his, Baltimore record distributor Lou Krefetz, became their manager.
He got them a recording session with the New York label Rainbow Records. The single "Yes Sir, That's My Baby," went nowhere, but its positive review in Cashbox magazine led them to Ahmet Ertegun's office. This son of the Turkish diplomat to the United States had founded Atlantic Records in 1947. He wasn't impressed with the Clovers' material, but felt the band had potential. Ertegun decided to write them some songs.
About this time, the group went looking for a guitar player, and found Bill Harris playing in Washington clubs. Deft in jazz, blues and swing styles, Harris took some convincing, but was soon on board.
The group recorded Ertrgun's composition "Don't You Know I Love You" in 1951, and it climbed the R'n'B chart to #1, selling 250,000 copies. Ertegun kept writing, and the next single was one of his, "Fool, Fool, Fool," and it too went to #1. It snowballed from there, hit after hit. The Clovers performed on Alan Freed's very first rock'n'roll show in 1954, but also continued to tour non-stop on the black theater circuit - the Apollo, the Howard, and their counterparts around the country.
Their sound was a little rough, compared to, say, the Ink Spots, and there was no distinct tenor lead. Main vocal duties were sung by the baritone. The drums, electric guitar and saxophone made them stand out compared to other bands, though soon, their sound was being copied by just about everyone.
Their final number one hit, "Love Potion #9" was in 1959, about the time the band was on the decline. Guitarist Bill Harris had released his debut jazz CD to great acclaim, and in-fighting in the band would lead to a split in 1961. But few, if any, bands could claim the popularity of the Clovers during this era. Their influence on the evolution of rock and R'n'B is incalculable. [ Ссылка ]
