Have Mercy Baby: The Life of Clyde McPhatter

About the event

A native of Durham NC, Clyde McPhatter first began singing in the Baptist church pastored by his father. After the family moved to New Jersey, McPhatter won an amateur night at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater and caught the attention of doo-wop singer Billy Ward, who invited McPhatter to join his 1950s powerhouse R&B group the Dominoes. His vocals on “Sixty Minute Man” and “Have Mercy Baby” helped transform doo-wop into a national sensation. At Atlantic Records, he not only led the Drifters to chart success with songs like “Money Honey,” but also helped shape the label’s rise as a cornerstone of American R&B.

Drawing on exclusive interviews with family members and close associates, Have Mercy Baby: The Life of Clyde McPhatter offers the most comprehensive portrait to date of a musical pioneer. More than a voice of his generation, Clyde McPhatter laid the groundwork for soul, rock, and R&B artists for decades to come. His influence still echoes, even as his life reminds us of the cost of being ahead of one’s time.

"Steve Bergsman’s definitive biography of Clyde McPhatter is a scrupulous investigation into the man whose tenor voice proved essential to the transition from R&B to rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s to the emergence of soul. Bergman’s deep research and eye for details tell the full story of this crucial singer’s life, digging into his early years in a church choir, struggles with segregation, and the machinations of the music industry. This book, with its honesty and the author’s musical expertise, provides McPhatter the respect he has long deserved and is essential for the many who he still inspires."

- Aaron Cohen, author of Move On Up: Chicago Soul Music and Black Cultural Power

Debbie McPhatter (Clyde McPhatter's daughter) and Howard Burchette music journalist and local radio personality will be present for this event.

A book signing facilitated by Letters Book Shop with the author will take place following the presentation.