Biography:

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,^[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, and can be found on the film’s soundtrack album.^[5]

Marlowe Murray died on December 11, 2008, from cancer, at the age of 73.^[8]

Raoul J. Cita died on December 13, 2014, from liver and stomach cancer, at the age of 86.^[9]

Willie Winfield died from a heart attack on July 27, 2021, aged 91. William Dempsey is the only original surviving member of The Harptones.^[10]

Credits: