Harptones
The Harptones are an American doo-wop group, which formed in Manhattan in 1953. The group never had a top forty pop hit, or a record on the US Billboard R&B chart, yet they are known for both their lead singer Willie Winfield and their pianist/arranger, Raoul Cita. The Harptones recorded for Coed Records and other labels. The Harptones may have been the first doo-wop group to have a full-time arranger among their members, and Cita knew how to work to Winfield's strengths. Their best-known recordings include "A Sunday Kind of Love" (1953), "Why Should I Love You?" (1954), "Life is But a Dream" (1955), "The Shrine of St. Cecilia" (1956), and "What Will I Tell My Heart" (1961). In 1956, they recorded some songs for the film Rockin' the Blues: "Mambo Boogie", "Ou Wee Baby", and "High Flying Baby". The song "Life is But a Dream" was featured in the 1990 film GoodFellas, and can be found on the film's soundtrack album. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Founded 1953
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1963 - 1970
Roles Represented in DAHR: Musical group
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 113056 | 2/7/1963 | What is your decision | Harptones | Musical group | |||
| Decca | 113060 | 2/7/1963 | Memories of you | Harptones | Musical group | |||
| Decca | 113063 | 2/7/1963 | A Sunday kind of love | Harptones | Musical group | |||
| Decca | 122785 | 4/18/1970 | A Sunday kind of love | Harptones | Musical group | |||
| Decca | 122786 | [Unknown title(s)] | Harptones | Musical group | ||||
| Decca | 122787 | 4/18/1970 | Fine little girl | Harptones | Musical group |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Harptones," accessed November 1, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/320119.
Harptones. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 1, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/320119.
"Harptones." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 1 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Harptones (Musical group) - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n95041816
Wikidata: The Harptones - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1683694
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/135005360
MusicBrainz: The Harptones - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/75f3c3cf-943d-4700-af9d-3c9e3fb85189
ISNI: 0000 0001 0723 123X - http://www.isni.org/isni/000000010723123X
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