Air Week: April 17-23, 2023
The Clovers, Pt. 3 – 1956-58
The Clovers were the most successful rhythm & blues vocal group from 1951 to 1955, racking up 16 top 10 R&B singles during that time-frame. Three of those singles went to #1. Though they didn’t have a huge career defining hit, like The Dominoes did with “Sixty Minute Man,” The Clovers claim to fame was consistency. You always knew what you were going to get with a Clovers record. Most of their songs were mid-tempo with tight, limited instrumentation, beautifully blended harmonies and catchy, memorable lyrics. This week, “Juke In The Back” presents part 3 of a 3 part feature on this ground-breaking pre-rock n’ roll group. In part 3, we’ll cover EVERY Clovers’ release (both A and B sides) from early 1956 to the middle of 1958. 1956 was the group’s last year as hit-makers. They scored two R&B top ten hits with “Hey Doll Baby” and “Love, Love, Love” (which also hit the pop charts) and then they didn’t score another hit until their final hit, “Love Potion #9” in mid-1959. But during this dry spell, The Clovers managed to release some memorable, quality records, such as the Chuck Willis penned, “From The Bottom Of My Heart,” the jivin’, “Down In The Alley” and the catchy, “The Gossip Wheel.” Also, during this time, the group left Atlantic Records and jumped to their manager’s Poplar label before ending up on United Artists in 1959. It’s the final chapter of my 3 part special on the amazing Clovers, this week on the “Juke In The Back.”
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