Gene McDaniels

by Ron WynnGene McDaniels had some early-'60s success with a pop-flavored R&B style. Born in Kansas City, he sang in Omaha choirs during the '40s and attended the Omaha Conservatory of Music. McDaniels led his own band in the '50s, then signed with Liberty. He had a Top Ten pop and Top 20 R&B hit in 1961 with "A Hundred Pounds of Clay," but the follow-up single, "A Tower of Strength," was his biggest. It was number five on both the R&B and pop charts, and "Point of No Return" just missed each list's Top 20. He appeared in the 1962 film It's Trad, Dad, which contained his song "Another Tear Falls." McDaniels continued to record for Liberty until 1965, then switched to Atlantic in the early '70s. He scored as a writer with the composition "Feel Like Making Love," a number one pop and R&B hit for Roberta Flack in 1974. He also produced Merry Clayton and other performers.