Biography
Despite lacking the mainstream breakthroughs enjoyed by contemporaries such as the Drifters, the Flamingos, or the Clovers, the Harptones warrant inclusion whenever the most enduring figures of the doo wop period receive serious attention. No single reached the Top 40, yet "A Sunday Kind of Love," "Life Is But a Dream," and "Memories of You" endure as genre benchmarks thanks to their lush vocal blends and refined, jazz-tinged charts. The story begins in 1951 on the grounds of Harlem's Wadleigh Junior High School, where William Dempsey, Curtis Cherebin, and Freddy Taylor first harmonized under the name the Skylarks. After Eugene "Sonny" Cooke and a classmate known only as "Skillum" joined, the quintet auditioned at the Apollo Theatre's Amateur Talent Contest with "My Dear Dearest Darling" and suffered the indignity of being booed from the stage. Subsequent personnel shifts brought William "Dicey" Galloway, already active in the Harlem unit the Winfield Brothers, into the fold. Early in 1953 the two aggregations merged to form the Harps.
The new sextet—tenor Dempsey, baritone Galloway, lead tenor Willie Winfield, first tenor Claudie "Nicky" Clark, bass Billy Brown, and pianist-arranger Raoul Cita—returned to the Apollo in November 1953 and captured first prize with their interpretation of the Louis Prima song "A Sunday Kind of Love." That same night an MGM executive offered them an audition at the label's 1650 Broadway facility. When the Harps appeared the following week the executive was absent, so they rehearsed in the corridor and drew the notice of Bruce Records partners Morty Craft and Leo Rogers, whose office stood nearby. The pair signed the group at once; to sidestep any clash with Savoy's Little David Baughn & the Harps, the name became the Harptones. Bruce rushed "A Sunday Kind of Love" onto the market days before Christmas 1953. Powered by Winfield's plush lead and Cita's ethereal organ introduction, the single dominated much of the Eastern seaboard, yet weak distribution prevented wider national exposure. Cita's "Memories of You" appeared early in 1954 and likewise scored heavily in local markets, earning the Harptones an invitation to Alan Freed's "Moondog Coronation Ball" alongside the Clovers and Charles Brown. Bruce's limited reach again thwarted broader success, prompting the members to rue their decision to bypass MGM. Clark took the lead on the third Bruce release, "I Depended on You," while Winfield fronted the 1954 follow-up "Why Should I Love You," which the Four Lads copied almost verbatim for the B-side of their hit "Skokiaan," thereby eclipsing the Harptones' original.
Galloway's induction into the military in autumn 1954 left Cita to cover baritone on the fifth Bruce single, "Since I Fell for You," another regional triumph that secured a place on Freed's first New York "Rock and Roll Jubilee" bill with the Drifters, the Clovers, the Moonglows, and Fats Domino. Distribution shortfalls again blocked national chart action. Still bound to Bruce, the group welcomed back original Skylark Freddy Taylor and issued a blues-inflected reading of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind" in March 1955. Bruce folded two months later; Rogers took possession of its catalog and placed the Harptones with Hy Weiss's new Paradise subsidiary under Old Town. After Taylor gave way to Bernard "Jimmy" Beckum, the Harptones recorded Cita's "Life Is But a Dream." Its delicate harmonies and jazz-inflected form propelled the single to the New York Top Five, but Weiss's scant promotional budget outside the Northeast condemned it to the same regional fate. "My Success (It All Depends on You)" closed 1955 and coincided with a week at the Apollo, after which the Paradise association ended. In spring 1956 the sextet moved to Rogers's Andrea label for the pop-styled "What Is Your Decision."
Following three contributions to the film Rockin' the Blues, the Harptones parted from Rogers and signed with George Goldner's Rama imprint for "Three Wishes," the first release to feature Harriet "Toni" Williams and the return of Galloway. "On Sunday Morning" appeared by year's end, and early 1957 brought the final Rama outing, "The Shrine of Saint Cecilia." A scheduled session was scrapped when twenty-year-old Billy Brown died of a drug overdose the night before; contractual obligations at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater kept all but Williams from attending the funeral. Curtis Cherebin, a Skylarks founder, stepped in, and the reconstituted lineup played another Apollo engagement. After Rama ceased operations, Goldner transferred the Harptones to his Gee label for the stark ballad "Cry Like I Cried." Galloway soon departed, and a brief tenure with former Solitaires lead Milton Love ended when the group dissolved months later. Early 1959 brought Morty Craft back with an offer to reform for his new Warwick label. The reconstituted lineup—Winfield, Dempsey, Clark, Cherebin, and Cita—cut "Laughing on the Outside," followed that summer by "Love Me Completely" and, in May 1960, "No Greater Miracle." By the last single's release Clark had left again, replaced by Hank Jernigan.
Songwriter Billy Dawn Smith placed the Harptones on Coed for "Rain Down Kisses" in autumn 1960; when he moved to the Companion subsidiary he took them along, issuing "All in Your Mind" (a direct answer to Maxine Brown's "All in My Mind") in early 1961. Their next Companion release, "What Will I Tell My Heart," became their sole national chart entry, reaching number 96 on Billboard's pop list. The group soon left Companion and landed at MGM's Cub imprint, where the Otis Blackwell composition "Devil in Velvet" introduced Beckum in place of Jernigan, yet the record failed to register. Silence followed until early 1964, when the tiny KT label issued the ballad "Sunset." Its lack of impact prompted Winfield to retire. The remaining members briefly operated as the Soothers long enough to record a version of Johnnie Ray's "The Little White Cloud That Cried" for Port before disbanding by year's end. In 1970 Cita accepted an invitation to reassemble the Harptones for Rock Magazine's First Original Rock and Roll Revival, drawing on Winfield, Dempsey, Cherebin, and Beckum. The act continued on the revival circuit through the decade; late in 1981 the lineup of Winfield, Cita, ex-Fi-Tones member Lowe Murray, and Linda Champion recorded the album Love Needs a Heart. Two years later they supplied backing vocals for longtime admirer Paul Simon's Hearts and Bones. More than fifty years after their first recording, Winfield and Cita still guide the Harptones on tour.
The new sextet—tenor Dempsey, baritone Galloway, lead tenor Willie Winfield, first tenor Claudie "Nicky" Clark, bass Billy Brown, and pianist-arranger Raoul Cita—returned to the Apollo in November 1953 and captured first prize with their interpretation of the Louis Prima song "A Sunday Kind of Love." That same night an MGM executive offered them an audition at the label's 1650 Broadway facility. When the Harps appeared the following week the executive was absent, so they rehearsed in the corridor and drew the notice of Bruce Records partners Morty Craft and Leo Rogers, whose office stood nearby. The pair signed the group at once; to sidestep any clash with Savoy's Little David Baughn & the Harps, the name became the Harptones. Bruce rushed "A Sunday Kind of Love" onto the market days before Christmas 1953. Powered by Winfield's plush lead and Cita's ethereal organ introduction, the single dominated much of the Eastern seaboard, yet weak distribution prevented wider national exposure. Cita's "Memories of You" appeared early in 1954 and likewise scored heavily in local markets, earning the Harptones an invitation to Alan Freed's "Moondog Coronation Ball" alongside the Clovers and Charles Brown. Bruce's limited reach again thwarted broader success, prompting the members to rue their decision to bypass MGM. Clark took the lead on the third Bruce release, "I Depended on You," while Winfield fronted the 1954 follow-up "Why Should I Love You," which the Four Lads copied almost verbatim for the B-side of their hit "Skokiaan," thereby eclipsing the Harptones' original.
Galloway's induction into the military in autumn 1954 left Cita to cover baritone on the fifth Bruce single, "Since I Fell for You," another regional triumph that secured a place on Freed's first New York "Rock and Roll Jubilee" bill with the Drifters, the Clovers, the Moonglows, and Fats Domino. Distribution shortfalls again blocked national chart action. Still bound to Bruce, the group welcomed back original Skylark Freddy Taylor and issued a blues-inflected reading of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind" in March 1955. Bruce folded two months later; Rogers took possession of its catalog and placed the Harptones with Hy Weiss's new Paradise subsidiary under Old Town. After Taylor gave way to Bernard "Jimmy" Beckum, the Harptones recorded Cita's "Life Is But a Dream." Its delicate harmonies and jazz-inflected form propelled the single to the New York Top Five, but Weiss's scant promotional budget outside the Northeast condemned it to the same regional fate. "My Success (It All Depends on You)" closed 1955 and coincided with a week at the Apollo, after which the Paradise association ended. In spring 1956 the sextet moved to Rogers's Andrea label for the pop-styled "What Is Your Decision."
Following three contributions to the film Rockin' the Blues, the Harptones parted from Rogers and signed with George Goldner's Rama imprint for "Three Wishes," the first release to feature Harriet "Toni" Williams and the return of Galloway. "On Sunday Morning" appeared by year's end, and early 1957 brought the final Rama outing, "The Shrine of Saint Cecilia." A scheduled session was scrapped when twenty-year-old Billy Brown died of a drug overdose the night before; contractual obligations at Philadelphia's Uptown Theater kept all but Williams from attending the funeral. Curtis Cherebin, a Skylarks founder, stepped in, and the reconstituted lineup played another Apollo engagement. After Rama ceased operations, Goldner transferred the Harptones to his Gee label for the stark ballad "Cry Like I Cried." Galloway soon departed, and a brief tenure with former Solitaires lead Milton Love ended when the group dissolved months later. Early 1959 brought Morty Craft back with an offer to reform for his new Warwick label. The reconstituted lineup—Winfield, Dempsey, Clark, Cherebin, and Cita—cut "Laughing on the Outside," followed that summer by "Love Me Completely" and, in May 1960, "No Greater Miracle." By the last single's release Clark had left again, replaced by Hank Jernigan.
Songwriter Billy Dawn Smith placed the Harptones on Coed for "Rain Down Kisses" in autumn 1960; when he moved to the Companion subsidiary he took them along, issuing "All in Your Mind" (a direct answer to Maxine Brown's "All in My Mind") in early 1961. Their next Companion release, "What Will I Tell My Heart," became their sole national chart entry, reaching number 96 on Billboard's pop list. The group soon left Companion and landed at MGM's Cub imprint, where the Otis Blackwell composition "Devil in Velvet" introduced Beckum in place of Jernigan, yet the record failed to register. Silence followed until early 1964, when the tiny KT label issued the ballad "Sunset." Its lack of impact prompted Winfield to retire. The remaining members briefly operated as the Soothers long enough to record a version of Johnnie Ray's "The Little White Cloud That Cried" for Port before disbanding by year's end. In 1970 Cita accepted an invitation to reassemble the Harptones for Rock Magazine's First Original Rock and Roll Revival, drawing on Winfield, Dempsey, Cherebin, and Beckum. The act continued on the revival circuit through the decade; late in 1981 the lineup of Winfield, Cita, ex-Fi-Tones member Lowe Murray, and Linda Champion recorded the album Love Needs a Heart. Two years later they supplied backing vocals for longtime admirer Paul Simon's Hearts and Bones. More than fifty years after their first recording, Winfield and Cita still guide the Harptones on tour.
Albums
