Clovers (Formed in 1946)

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.
All the hits are characterised by their trademark solid harmonies and unerring rhythmic verve. One of their most respected, but not biggest selling singles, 'Down In The Alley', had a vocal imitation of the Elmore James slide guitar riff as its starting point - now that's class! That single also passed as the title of one of the early Rhino compilations of their Atlantic work "Down In The Alley: The Best Of The Clovers". It's a fine compilation, but misses the United Artists material and therefore one of their biggest hits ('Love Potion No. 9')

Also worthy of note in the annals of R&B recording history is that 'Don't You Know I Love You', from the Clovers first Atlantic session, was often cited (rightly or wrongly and most specfically by the writer Nick Tosches) as one of the first R&B vocal group records to feature a saxophone solo. And all because Frank Culley insisted on being paid if his band was going to be used, so Ertegun made him work for his money!
The Clovers only made the US pop charts with 'Love Love Love' (number 30, 1956) and 'Love Potion No. 9' (number 23, 1959). The latter, one of Leiber And Stoller's best songs, was recorded for United Artists Records, the only label other than Atlantic that saw the Clovers reach the charts. Leiber and Stoller actually returned to the Atlantic fold and the Clovers material suffered, left high and dry without sympathetic producers.

In 1961 the Clovers split into rival groups led, respectively, by Buddy Bailey and Harold Lucas, and the hits dried up. Various permutations of the Clovers continued to record and perform for years afterwards - sadly for the group however, the initial 60s "revival" was more interested in doo- wop than the undeniably bluesy sounds of the Clovers. In the 70s, audiences were more appreciative and the group performed regularly at countless R&B revival shows. And in 1988 they were deservedly incorporated into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and given one of their prestigious Pioneer Awards.
"The Very Best of the Clovers" is an excellent 16-track collection from Rhino that features the biggest hits from 1951-1959, including 'Don't You Know I Love You', 'Fool, Fool, Fool', 'One Mint Julep', 'Ting-A-Ling', 'I Played the Fool', 'Hey, Miss Fannie', 'Good Lovin', 'Lovey Dovey', 'Little Mama', 'Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash', 'Blue Velvet', and 'Devil or Angel'. Crucially it also includes tracks licensed from United Artists including 'Love Potion No. 9'. It's an ideal introduction to this legendary and important R&B group and the one to get

Under the influence of Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegun (who wrote and produced most of their early songs), the Clovers combined quartet harmony, the big dance beat of the R&B jump bands, and the rawer sounds of urban blues into an exciting new blend that caught on and put them consistently at the top of the R&B charts in the early '50s. The way they did it, and the sheer quality of their vocals and arrangements helped to lay the foundation for the soul music to come.