Biography
Born on November 18, 1936, in New York City, the musically gifted Jimmy Radcliffe first displayed his vocal abilities in a church choir. His move toward secular material took shape during a mid-1950s Air Force enlistment, where he assembled the Fascinators and also sang solo. One memorable broadcast on the Armed Forces Network in Germany marked the peak of his military performances. After completing his service in 1958, he returned to New York and joined street-corner vocal groups that performed occasionally at neighborhood venues. Demo recordings he made and persuaded a local DJ to spin reached a Musicor Records executive, who offered him a songwriting deal through the label’s publishing subsidiary, January Music. Actual sessions did not follow for three more years; instead, he supplied demonstration tracks that showcased material for artists such as the Drifters.
Musicor released “Twist Calypso” backed with “Don’t Look My Way” in 1962, both sides co-written by Radcliffe and longtime collaborator Jim Sterns. Subsequent singles included “(There Goes) the Forgotten Man” in 1962, later recorded by Gene McDaniels, and “Through a Long and Sleepless Night” in 1963. Although the first three efforts hinted at promise, commercial impact stayed limited. His original version of the Hal David and Burt Bacharach composition “Long After Tonight Is All Over” in 1964 fared better and brought wider attention, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it appeared on Stateside Records and registered on the charts.
The Musicor arrangement ended, prompting Radcliffe’s next release, the original “My Ship Is Comin’ In,” to surface on Aurora Records; again, stronger reception occurred in the U.K. than stateside. Walter Jackson later covered it, yet the Walker Brothers achieved the biggest success with their 1965 rendition of the Radcliffe and Joey Brooks song, which reached number three on the pop chart. Shout Records issued “Lucky Old Sun” backed with “So Deep” in 1966. No further material appeared until 1968, when “Breakaway Parts 1 & 2,” credited to the Steve Karman Big Band featuring Jimmy Radcliffe, emerged on United Artists Records. His final single, “Funky Bottom Congregation,” carried an RCA imprint in 1969.
A stronger reputation as songwriter and producer offset a modest recording career. Radcliffe co-wrote “This Time Tomorrow” for Tammy Montgomery (Terrell) and “Deep in the Heart of Harlem,” which Clyde McPhatter and Walter Jackson both recorded. McPhatter ultimately cut five of Radcliffe’s compositions. “My Block” by the Five Pennies (the Chiffons) reached number 67 on the pop chart in 1963; “Tell Him” further enriched Garnet Mimms’ catalog; Radcliffe also contributed to “Everybody Needs Love” for the Harlem Globetrotters, Jimmy Armstrong’s “You’re Getting Next to Me Baby,” and the track “Pullin’” that continues to be associated with Carolyn Franklin. He produced Franklin’s first two RCA albums and half of her third before illness interrupted the work. Additional credits include contributions to the Banana Splits’ 1968 album We’re the Banana Splits and the placement of “I Pretend I’m Loving You” on the Eve’s Bayou soundtrack; “Sit Down Sunshine” came close to inclusion as well.
After stepping back from single releases, Radcliffe pursued a profitable path writing and performing advertising jingles, completing more than 200 television and radio spots beginning in 1966. The best known was a Pontiac campaign that featured the line “Breakaway in a Pontiac,” which ran from 1969 to 1970 and later appeared as the United Artists single mentioned earlier. Versatile as ever, he also supplied backup vocals on numerous recording dates.
Radcliffe died of natural causes on July 27, 1973, at a Veterans Hospital in New York; he had been admitted for kidney complications while working on Carolyn Franklin’s third RCA album.
Musicor released “Twist Calypso” backed with “Don’t Look My Way” in 1962, both sides co-written by Radcliffe and longtime collaborator Jim Sterns. Subsequent singles included “(There Goes) the Forgotten Man” in 1962, later recorded by Gene McDaniels, and “Through a Long and Sleepless Night” in 1963. Although the first three efforts hinted at promise, commercial impact stayed limited. His original version of the Hal David and Burt Bacharach composition “Long After Tonight Is All Over” in 1964 fared better and brought wider attention, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it appeared on Stateside Records and registered on the charts.
The Musicor arrangement ended, prompting Radcliffe’s next release, the original “My Ship Is Comin’ In,” to surface on Aurora Records; again, stronger reception occurred in the U.K. than stateside. Walter Jackson later covered it, yet the Walker Brothers achieved the biggest success with their 1965 rendition of the Radcliffe and Joey Brooks song, which reached number three on the pop chart. Shout Records issued “Lucky Old Sun” backed with “So Deep” in 1966. No further material appeared until 1968, when “Breakaway Parts 1 & 2,” credited to the Steve Karman Big Band featuring Jimmy Radcliffe, emerged on United Artists Records. His final single, “Funky Bottom Congregation,” carried an RCA imprint in 1969.
A stronger reputation as songwriter and producer offset a modest recording career. Radcliffe co-wrote “This Time Tomorrow” for Tammy Montgomery (Terrell) and “Deep in the Heart of Harlem,” which Clyde McPhatter and Walter Jackson both recorded. McPhatter ultimately cut five of Radcliffe’s compositions. “My Block” by the Five Pennies (the Chiffons) reached number 67 on the pop chart in 1963; “Tell Him” further enriched Garnet Mimms’ catalog; Radcliffe also contributed to “Everybody Needs Love” for the Harlem Globetrotters, Jimmy Armstrong’s “You’re Getting Next to Me Baby,” and the track “Pullin’” that continues to be associated with Carolyn Franklin. He produced Franklin’s first two RCA albums and half of her third before illness interrupted the work. Additional credits include contributions to the Banana Splits’ 1968 album We’re the Banana Splits and the placement of “I Pretend I’m Loving You” on the Eve’s Bayou soundtrack; “Sit Down Sunshine” came close to inclusion as well.
After stepping back from single releases, Radcliffe pursued a profitable path writing and performing advertising jingles, completing more than 200 television and radio spots beginning in 1966. The best known was a Pontiac campaign that featured the line “Breakaway in a Pontiac,” which ran from 1969 to 1970 and later appeared as the United Artists single mentioned earlier. Versatile as ever, he also supplied backup vocals on numerous recording dates.
Radcliffe died of natural causes on July 27, 1973, at a Veterans Hospital in New York; he had been admitted for kidney complications while working on Carolyn Franklin’s third RCA album.
Albums
Singles
