The Harptones

The Harptones was a doo wop group formed in Harlem, New York City, New York in 1953. The group was centered around two talented performers with strong personalities – vocalist Willie Winfield and pianist/arranger Raoul Cita – both of whom would remain in the Harptones’ line-up until Raoul Cita’s death in December 2014. The duo’s association survived many line-up changes over the years, but the group remained musical focused and active for six decades. While they didn’t release any chart toppers, they issued many memorable singles including "A Sunday Kind of Love" (1953), "Why Should I Love You?" (1954), "Life Is But a Dream" (1955), "The Shrine of St. Cecilia" (1956), "What Will I Tell My Heart" (1961), and "Mambo Boogie", "Ou Wee Baby” and “High Flying Baby”, all three recorded in 1956 for the movie Rockin’ the Blues. During their heyday, the band never recorded a full-length album although numerous compilations have been released including Golden Recordings (1957) and Life Is But a Dream: The Ultimate Harptones 1953–1961 (2012). Raoul Cita died on December 13, 2014, bringing an end to one of the longest lasting doo wop groups of all time. Willie Winfield died of a heart attack on July 27, 2021, at the age of 91. William Dempsey, the band's second tenor - who had left the group in the early 1970s but returned in the 1990s - was then the only original surviving member of the Harptones.