The Harptones

The Harptones are an American doo-wop group which formed in Manhattan, New York in 1953.

The group never had a top forty pop hit, or a record on the US Billboard R&B chart,[1] 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.[2] 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",[3] and "High Flying Baby".[4]

The song "Life is But a Dream" was featured in the 1990 film GoodFellas; it appears on the film's soundtrack album.[5]

  1. ^ "Passings: Raoul Cita of the Harptones". VVN Music. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  2. ^ "TRB Enterprises Honoring our Pioneers". www.toddbaptista.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  3. ^ "Harptones—OO Wee Baby". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  4. ^ "Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks – HARPTONES". Uncamarvy.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  5. ^ "Goodfellas: Music from the Motion Picture". Atlantic. October 29, 1990. Retrieved May 2, 2018.