Clyde McPhatter Says Hello -> August 1970

[kevinstevenage]

he looks more like Dobie Gray than Clyde Mcphatter

[drjohncarpenter]

he looks more like Dobie Gray than Clyde Mcphatter

Thanks, that is very helpful.

[kevinstevenage]

just an observation.

[promiseland]

My mother watched the complete workes with me last night
and with out me saying anything she said " Theres Clyde Mcphatter !" and I said are you sure? She said "Yes thats him , you can tell by his eyes and that smile. That Is Him!"
My mother is 67 and is very knowledgable on 1950 and 60's music scene.
I didn't say when the clip can up "hey mom who do you think that is.. "
she just spotted him and said 'Theres Clyde Mcphatter"

I know this mystery is still not solved with definite proof , but I think it is very strange for someone that knows nothing about this topic has claimed that the mystery man is Clyde Mcphatter.
I don't know exactly what the odds of that is, but it's enough for me to bring this topic back up again after being 10 pages deep....

[drjohncarpenter]

My mother watched the complete works with me last night and without me saying anything she said, "There's Clyde McPhatter!" and I said, "Are you sure? She said, "Yes that's him, you can tell by his eyes and that smile. That is him!"

My mother is 67 and very knowledgeable on 1950s and 60s music scenes.

I didn't say when the clip came up, "Hey mom, who do you think that is.. " she just spotted him and said, "There's Clyde McPhatter!"

I know this mystery is still not solved with definite proof, but I think it is very strange for someone that knows nothing about this topic claimed that the mystery man is Clyde McPhatter.

I don't know exactly what the odds of that is, but it's enough for me to bring this topic back up again after being 10 pages deep....

Thanks a lot for sharing this VERY interesting -- and totally unsolicited -- observation.

[promiseland]

My mother watched the complete works with me last night and without me saying anything she said, "There's Clyde McPhatter!" and I said, "Are you sure? She said, "Yes that's him, you can tell by his eyes and that smile. That is him!"

My mother is 67 and very knowledgeable on 1950s and 60s music scenes.

I didn't say when the clip came up, "Hey mom, who do you think that is.. " she just spotted him and said, "There's Clyde McPhatter!"

I know this mystery is still not solved with definite proof, but I think it is very strange for someone that knows nothing about this topic claimed that the mystery man is Clyde McPhatter.

I don't know exactly what the odds of that is, but it's enough for me to bring this topic back up again after being 10 pages deep....

Thanks a lot for sharing this VERY interesting -- and totally unsolicited -- observation.

You're welcome.
We talked about this , and I was like well theres alot of people on an Elvis forum that says it isn't him or doesn't look like him totally,
and she said " well Elvis didnt look the same at that time than he did in the 50's, but he still had those distinctive features all the way till the end"

I thought that was a good point !

[drjohncarpenter]

Found this article, which at least shows that Clyde had returned to the U.S. as of late July 1970.

Billboard Aug 01 1970 p6.jpg

Billboard - August 1, 1970

[Blue River]

I gotta' hand it to you, drjohn, if nothing else you are persistent.

Maybe it was McPhatter afterall. I hope it's him, so you can start sleeping at night.

[mysterytrainrideson]

Did you know Elvis met singer and hero Clyde McPhatter?



Elvis, Clyde McPhatter - August 10, 1970, Las Vegas, NV

---

How cool is that?

Clyde was a HUGE influence on Elvis, his lead vocal on the 1953 Drifters #1 R&B recording of "Money Honey" is but one example.

He had recently returned from exile in the U.K., cutting a comeback LP called Welcome Home (Decca, 1970).



It was not a success. Sadly, McPhatter died just two years later, a heart attack taking him at the age of 39. As time has passed, his beautiful, unique voice has been acknowledged, and in 1987 was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Learn about this man's influential work by clicking this link ->

The Great Clyde McPhatter

Thanks for this info, Doc. Wasn't even aware the two met...Elvis sure loved Clyde...and it's great to see a photo of the two together.i too love clydes music From the Dominoes to the early Drifters. He had a unique voice.

[rjm]

The only other person it could be is Jerry Butler.

Here are a few pictures. (Can't find one with that exact hair just yet.)

Jerry_Butler_sorta_smiling_young.jpg

Jerry_Butler_smiling_young.jpg

jerry-butler.jpg

jerry-butler_sing.jpg

Jerry_Butler_Philadephia.jpg

I've just always had him in mind, but the "all my moves" still points to something more specific. I don't know: it's just a shot, a gut feeling. I don't know.

rjm

[TJ]

Butler was definitely in Chicago on August 17 because he appeared on the very first Soul Train, which was live. He was also working on his songwriting workshop in Chicago that summer. Doesn't mean he couldn't have been in Vegas the week before, but I don't know if there was a professional reason for him to have been in town. The images of Butler from the early '60s look nothing like the guy with Elvis, but by 1970 there is a similarity.

[rjm]

This is no sure solution, because the McPhatter vid is from way back, but at least here's video (of both):

..

..

The actual person:

..

rjm

[drjohncarpenter]

It's most definitely NOT Jerry Butler.

[pingpong]

Tony Middleton, once a demo singer for Elvis.

[GERRY]

IMO it is Clyde McPhatter, bone structure, teeth , even the eyebrows.

But wouldn't it be good if we could have a sample of Clyde's spoken voice circa 1970. I have been searching but cannot find. He did an interview in 1968 I think, but again cannot find a copy.

Also I would like to know if there is any other photos of Clyde in vegas in August 1970, any news, any written document. Any thing?

[TJ]

IMO it is Clyde McPhatter, bone structure, teeth , even the eyebrows.

But wouldn't it be good if we could have a sample of Clyde's spoken voice circa 1970. I have been searching but cannot find. He did an interview in 1968 I think, but again cannot find a copy.

Also I would like to know if there is any other photos of Clyde in vegas in August 1970, any news, any written document. Any thing?

That ship has sailed really. Most are now pretty sure that it's someone other than McPhatter (as the updated version of this thread shows):
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=38008&start=225#p1429324

It's quite possibly a performer, but no one has been able to identify him.

[GERRY]

To quote America's next president, wether you like it, or dont like it, wethere you want to hear it, or don't.

It is Clyde McPhatter, orbital eye socket size/shadow in relation to malar area cheek area, skeletal fat pads, feature spacement, bone structure, overall facial features, hairline, teeth ,do not lie.

Yes some of the other pictures look less certain but this could be lighting, angle, subject looking down, etc even the film causing a momentary glitch.

But a match can be made for some of the photos of the man standing next to Elvis even if some are not quite as convincing because they are different angles, etc.

So I guess I am stating that I am certain that some of the pictures of a African American male standing near Elvis is Clyde McPhatter.

[drjohncarpenter]

To quote America's next president, wether you like it, or dont like it, wethere you want to hear it, or don't.

It is Clyde McPhatter, orbital eye socket size/shadow in relation to malar area cheek area, skeletal fat pads, feature spacement, bone structure, overall facial features, hairline, teeth ,do not lie.

Yes some of the other pictures look less certain but this could be lighting, angle, subject looking down, etc even the film causing a momentary glitch.

But a match can be made for some of the photos of the man standing next to Elvis even if some are not quite as convincing because they are different angles, etc.

So I guess I am stating that I am certain that some of the pictures of a African American male standing near Elvis is Clyde McPhatter.

Thanks.