Have Mercy Baby The Life of Clyde McPhatter

"One might say the Isley Brothers traveled the road to success in the spit-shined, glossy black shoes of Clyde McPhatter." - from the foreword by Ronald Isley

"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