The Cleftones

The Cleftones are an American doo wop group.



The group formed in 1955 at Jamaica High School in Queens, New York, as the Silvertones or the Clefs, with members Herbie Cox, Berman Patterson, and bass Warren Corbin. Charles James and William McClain were added, and after a few name changes, settled on "The Cleftones".



In November of 1955, the group signed with Gee Records, and their first single, "You Baby You", was released, to instant success. It was written by Patterson with a duet lead of Patterson and Cox. More singles followed, including "Little Girl of Mine"/"You're Driving Me Mad", which was also very successful.



After three years of success, the group found itself struggling. McClain and Patterson left, and new members Eugene Pearson and Patricia Spann entered. Under the management of Henry Glover and George Treadwell, the group continued and found success in 1961 with "Heart and Soul". Their success was limited, however, and the group stopped touring regularly in 1963.



The group reunited in 1970 with Cox, Corbin, James, Patterson, and Pearson, and continued with this lineup for some time. Later the group was Cox, James, Cox's cousin Tony Gaines, and bass Nick Saunders. The group performed on the 1999 PBS special Doo Wop 50- the lineup was Cox, James, Saunders, Patterson, and Kenny Whiteside. James was later replaced by Mac Todd. Patterson left the group in the early 2000s. The group (Cox, Saunders, Whiteside, and Todd) continue to tour, and have produced a live album, Live Today.



Mac Todd did not replace Charles James. Charles for personal reasons decided to stop performing, and Kenny Whiteside stepped in to fill the vacant spot.



After the death of Tony Gaines, Mac Todd came aboard to fill the vacancy.



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