Clyde McPhatter
November 15, 1932 – June 13, 1972
Clyde McPhatter was one of the most influential R&B singers of the ’50s and ’60s, both as leader of the Drifters and later as a solo artist. His hits included “Treasure Of Love,” “A Lover’s Question,” and “I Never Knew.” What separated him from the pack of R&B crooners was his ability to cross over to a white audience, likely due to the fact that white artists liked to cover his songs, which in turn gave them greater success. His ability to reach the pop audience became the blueprint for such followers as Sam Cooke, Ben E. King, and even Smokey Robinson. McPhatter continued to record into the late ’60s, but failed to get the momentum needed to make him the superstar he deserved to be. Years of alcoholism may have played a role in that. He moved to England for a couple of years to try to capitalize on the fan base he still had over there, but came back to the US where he died of a heart attack attributed to the years of alcohol abuse.
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Ali-Ollie Woodson was an R&B singer who is best remembered as a two-time singer for the Temptations. His terms with the group were 1984 to 1986, and then again from 1988 to 1996. His biggest hit for the group was the 1984 #2 record, “Treat Her Like A Lady,” on which he sang lead, co-wrote, and co-produced. During the early part of his career, Woodson was part of a Drifters revival act of the early ’70s. Following his years with the Temptations, he formed his own touring soul review, performed in a latter-day Temptations Revue, and did some acting. On May 30, 2010, Ali-Ollie Woodson died of leukemia. He was 58.
