The Harptones:
Despite their failure to achieve the commercial success of rivals like the Drifters, the Flamingos, or the Clovers, the Harptones demand consideration in any serious discussion of the truly immortal acts of the doo wop era. Although none of their singles cracked the Top 40, efforts like "A Sunday Kind of Love," "Life Is But a Dream," and "Memories of You" remain classics of the genre, distinguished by their rich harmonies and sophisticated, jazz-inspired arrangements.
The Harptones' origins date to 1951 and the grounds of Harlem's Wadleigh Junior High School, where classmates William Dempsey, Curtis Cherebin, and Freddy Taylor began harmonizing as the Skylarks. Following the additions of Eugene "Sonny" Cooke and a classmate remembered only by the nickname "Skillum," the fledgling group made its professional debut via the Apollo Theatre's famed Amateur Talent Contest, performing a rendition of "My Dear Dearest Darling" that ended in the audience literally booing them off the stage. After a series of lineup shuffles, the Skylarks welcomed William "Dicey" Galloway, who concurrently served as a member of another fledgling Harlem doo wop unit, the Winfield Brothers.
In early 1953, alumni of both groups combined as the Harps. Comprising tenor Dempsey, baritone Galloway, lead tenor Willie Winfield, first tenor Claudie "Nicky" Clark, bass Billy Brown, and pianist/arranger Raoul Cita, the Harps returned to the Apollo in November 1953 and earned top honors with their soulful rendition of the Louis Prima composition "A Sunday Kind of Love." Even more significantly, at the end of the evening an MGM Records executive in the audience invited the group to audition at the label's 1650 Broadway studio.
When the Harps arrived at MGM's offices the following week, the exec in question was not available. To pass the time, the group practiced its harmonies while waiting in the hallway, attracting the attention of Bruce Records co-owners Morty Craft and Leo Rogers, who occupied an office just a few doors down. Craft and Rogers immediately extended a contract offer, and after altering the sextet's name to the Harptones (to avoid conflict with the Savoy act Little David Baughn & the Harps), Bruce issued "A Sunday Kind of Love" just days prior to Christmas 1953. Buoyed by Whitfield's crushed-velvet lead and Cita's otherworldly organ intro, the record proved a major hit throughout much of the East Coast, but spotty distribution effectively destroyed its chances of breaking nationally.
The Cita-penned "Memories of You" followed in early 1954, and it too proved such a local smash that the Harptones were invited to appear at DJ Alan Freed's historic "Moondog Coronation Ball" alongside the Clovers and Charles Brown. Again Bruce's limited distribution network crippled the single's momentum, however, no doubt prompting the group to question the wisdom of passing up its shot with MGM. Clark assumed lead duties for the Harptones' third release, "I Depended on You." Whitfield reclaimed the reins for the 1954 effort "Why Should I Love You," copied virtually note for note by the Four Lads and placed on the B-side of their hit "Skokiaan," effectively obliterating the Harptones' original.
When Dicey Galloway was drafted into military duty in the autumn of 1954, Cita handled baritone duties on the Harptones' fifth Bruce release, "Since I Fell for You." Another Tri-State region smash, it earned the group a spot on Freed's landmark first New York City showcase, 1955's "Rock and Roll Jubilee," alongside the Drifters, the Clovers, the Moonglows, and Fats Domino. But while Bruce's poor distribution again conspired to halt the single's chances at charting nationally, the Harptones remained under contract to the label, and after recruiting onetime Skylark Freddy Taylor, in March they issued a bluesy cover of Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind." Two months later, however, Bruce finally collapsed, with Leo Rogers acquiring control of the company's assets.
He shopped the Harptones to Old Town Records, with owner Hy Weiss agreeing to launch a new subsidiary, Paradise, to accommodate their arrival. After replacing Taylor with Bernard "Jimmy" Beckum, the Harptones cut their Paradise debut, the gorgeous Cita original "Life Is But a Dream." With its gossamer harmonies and jazzlike structure, the single ascended to the Top Five in New York, but Weiss spent little money on promotion outside of the East Coast and the record met the same grim commercial fate as its predecessors. The ballad "My Success (It All Depends on You)" closed out the year, coinciding with the Harptones' weeklong stint at the Apollo. It also marked the end of their Paradise tenure, and in the spring of 1956 the sextet resurfaced on Rogers' new Andrea imprint with the pop-inspired "What Is Your Decision."