Clifford James Nobles (August 4, 1941 - October 12, 2008) was an American soul singer
Biography
Nobles was born in Grove Hill, Alabama grew up in Mobile 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. In Philadelphia he formed the group Cliff Nobles & Co., with bassist Benny Williams, guitarist Bobby Tucker, and drummer Robert Marshall. They were signed to Phil-L.A. of Soul Records.
Their second release for the record label was the single "Love Is All Right"/ "The Horse", which featured the horn section from what would later be known as MFSB. "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. 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.
"The Horse" sold a million copies with the gold disc award from the R.I.A.A. made in August 1968. Nobles' record label continued releasing instrumental singles on which Nobles himself did not play a note.
After his music career was over, Nobles worked in construction and later in the electricity generation industry.