Clyde McPhatter was one of the most influential R&B singers of the '50s and early '60s. In his own time, his name and voice loomed so much larger than that of the group the Drifters, which he founded, that it took five years for them to recover from his departure. McPhatter was idolized by Black audiences as few singers before or since ever... [+] Read More

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Eugene Church was a Los Angeles-born singer who became a sometime-collaborator with Jesse Belvin during the mid-'50s -- the two recorded together for the Bihari brothers' Modern Records label under the name the Cliques, releasing a successful single of "The Girl in My Dreams" in 1956. He subsequently sang backup on Belvin's records, and was... [+] Read More

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Jackie Wilson was one of the most important agents of black pop's transition from R&B into soul. In terms of vocal power (especially in the upper register), few could outdo him; he was also an electrifying on-stage showman. He was a consistent hitmaker from the mid-'50s through the early '70s, although never a crossover superstar. His reputation... [+] Read More

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