| Cliff Nobles | |
| Birth Name: | Clifford James Nobles |
| Birth Date: | 4 August 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Grove Hill, Alabama, United States |
| Death Place: | Norristown, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Genre: | Soul |
| Occupation: | Singer |
Clifford James Nobles (August 4, 1941 – October 12, 2008) was an American soul singer, who is best known for his instrumental hit, "The Horse".
Nobles[1] was born in Grove Hill, Alabama, United States; grew up in Mobile, Alabama; 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.[2] 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.[2] They recorded demos and, with the help of songwriter/record producer Jesse James, landed a recording contract with Phil-L.A. of Soul Records.[2]
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.[2] "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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] "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.[5] 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.[2] 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.[6] In Canada a further two singles did make the Top 100. Horse Fever reached number 94, and Switch It On reached number 91.[7] [8]
After his music career, Nobles worked in construction and later in the electricity generation industry.[1]
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.[9]