GREAT R&B CLOVERS 78 GOOD LOVIN US ATLANTIC 1000 E/E+!

The Clovers have a special place in the history of R&B as the first genuinely successful vocal group on the Atlantic label. They actually started out in Washington in 1946, built a career recording smooth ballads and bluesy jumps, and in the process became one of the most popular vocal groups of the 50s. They certainly weren't a doo-wop group, although they were often categorised within that genre - if anything they were a typical R&B band with the vocalists taking many of the traditional instrumental parts. Through their career, they managed to hit the US national charts no fewer than 21 times.

By the time the group first recorded for Rainbow Records in the early 1950, the Clovers consisted of John 'Buddy' Bailey (lead), Matthew McQuater (tenor), Harold Lucas (baritone) and Harold Winley (bass), with instrumental accompaniment from Bill Harris (guitar). Later in the year the Clovers joined the fledgling Atlantic label after reputedly being picked up on by Ahmet Ertegun via the local hotbed known as Waxie Maxie's Record Mart. In 1952 Charles White, who had earlier experience in the Dominoes and the Checkers, became the Clovers' new lead, replacing Buddy Bailey who was drafted into the US Army. In late 1953 Billy Mitchell took over from White. Bailey rejoined the group in 1954 but Mitchell remained and the two alternated the leads. Whoever was the lead, from 1951-56 the Clovers achieved a consistent sound and remarkably consistent success.

They had three US number 1 R&B hits with 'Don't You Know I Love You' (an Ahmet Ertegun song), 'Fool, Fool, Fool' (both 1951) and 'Ting-A-Ling' (1952), plus four number 2 R&B hits with 'One Mint Julep', 'Hey, Miss Fannie' (both 1952), 'Good Lovin' (1953) and 'Lovey Dovey' (1954). Of the remaining 11 other Top 10 hits for Atlantic, the Clovers came into their own as balladeers with the great 'Devil Or Angel' and 'Blue Velvet', both of which were of course recorded by many others including, sadly, Bobby Vee. Despite the group's superb early bluesy and uptempo R&B work, it is for these two songs that the Clovers are often remembered.