Cliff Nobles
Clifford James Nobles (August 4, 1941 – October 12, 2008)[1] was an American soul singer, who is best known for his instrumental hit, "The Horse".
Cliff Nobles | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Clifford James Nobles |
| Born | August 4, 1941 Grove Hill, Alabama, United States |
| Died | October 12, 2008 (aged 67) Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genres | Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
Biography
Nobles[2] was born in Grove Hill, Alabama, United States; grew up in Mobile, Alabama;[3] and began singing in high school as a member of a local group, The Delroys. He moved to Philadelphia and recorded three singles for Atlantic Records, none of which charted.[4] While living in a commune in Norristown, Pennsylvania, he formed a group, Cliff Nobles & Co., with bassist Benny Williams, guitarist Bobby Tucker, and drummer Robert Marshall.[4] They recorded demos and, with the help of songwriter/record producer Jesse James, landed a recording contract with Phil-L.A. of Soul Records.[4]
Their second release for the record label was the single "Love Is All Right" b/w "The Horse", which featured the horn section from what would later be known as MFSB.[4] "The Horse" was simply an instrumental version of the A-side, and Nobles, who was the lead singer, does not actually play on the track at all.[4] Nevertheless, it caught fire at radio stations and became a hit, peaking at number 2 for three weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968, as well as number 2 on the R&B Singles chart.[5] It was held out of the number 1 spot by Herb Alpert's "This Guy's In Love With You". In Canada the song reached number 7.[6] "The Horse" sold a million copies within three months of release, with the gold disc award from the R.I.A.A. made in August 1968.[3] Nobles' record label continued releasing instrumental singles on which Nobles himself did not play a note, though a later single on which Nobles sang narrowly missed the R&B Top 40.[4] An album credited to Cliff Nobles & Co., entitled The Horse, was released consisting mostly of instrumentals, and hit number 159 on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart.[7] In Canada a further two singles did make the Top 100. Horse Fever reached number 94, and Switch It On reached number 91.[8][9]
After his music career was over, Nobles worked in construction and later in the electricity generation industry.[2]
After moving to Norristown, Cliff Nobles had a daughter Yvette Blakeslee (Bradley) in July, 1977. Nobles died in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in October 2008, at the age of 67.[1]
References
- Doc Rock. "New Entries". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- Archived March 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 244–245. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1836/7. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- "Cliff Nobles | Awards". AllMusic. 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 20, 1968" (PDF).
- Andrew Hamilton. "Cliff Nobles | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
- "RPM Top 100 Singles - October 28, 1968" (PDF).
- "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 24, 1969" (PDF).