The Deep River Boys left a legacy of fine recordings during their 50 years of performing, setting a standard for professionalism and longevity that is to be envied. They began recording as a gospel act in the late '40s and later switched over and became an R&B act and were more popular in Europe for periods of time before coming home to the... [+] Read More

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R&B combo the Five Red Caps formed in New York City in 1943. According to Marv Goldberg's profile in the November 1991 issue of Discoveries, the group was previously known as the Four Toppers, whose Los Angeles-based original lineup -- tenor/drummer Jimmy Springs, second tenor David Patillo, baritone/bass player Richard Davis, and bass... [+] Read More

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Pioneer Virginia gospel/pop quartet of the '30s and '40s. Calling their innovative approach to sacred hymns "jubilee" singing, the Golden Gate Quartet, propelled by Willie Johnson and William Langford, enjoyed massive acceptance far outside the church. Their smooth Mills Brothers-influenced harmonies made the Gates naturals for pop crossover... [+] Read More

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A close-harmony vocal quartet with few equals during the '50s, the Ames Brothers hit number one in 1950 with "Sentimental Me," and found their biggest hit three years later with "You, You, You." Though they were indeed a family group, the Ames Brothers' surname was actually Urick. Joe, Gene, Vic and Ed were all born within four short years of... [+] Read More

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Definitely the most talented and arguably the all-around best jazz vocal group of all time, the Boswell Sisters parlayed their New Orleans upbringing into a swinging delivery that featured not only impossibly close harmonies, but countless maneuvers of vocal gymnastics rarely equalled on record. Connee (sometimes Connie), Helvetia (Vet), and... [+] Read More

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With their exciting Jubilee-style harmonizing, the Delta Rhythm Boys helped to bridge the R&B vocal groups of the 1930s and '40s and the doo wop groups of the 1950s. While they capped their early success with sophisticated renditions of traditional tunes, "Dry Bones" and Ellington's "Take the 'A' Train," in 1941, they were still singing as the... [+] Read More

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The Ink Spots played a large role in pioneering the black vocal group-harmony genre, helping to pave the way for the doo wop explosion of the '50s. The quavering high tenor of Bill Kenny presaged hundreds of street-corner leads to come, and the sweet harmonies of Charlie Fuqua, Deek Watson, and bass Hoppy Jones (who died in 1944) backed him... [+] Read More

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Led by Sonny Til, the Orioles were the first black vocal group to sing music directly for a black audience. Through their early recordings -- which were made in the late '40s and early '50s -- the band laid the groundwork for R&B vocal groups and doo wop. The Orioles fused traditional pop songs with gospel sensibilities and arranged blues and... [+] Read More

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The Ravens were among the pioneering post-World War II R&B groups, and also among the earliest R&B groups named for birds. In both their musicality and their nomenclature, they influenced two generations of performers that followed, as well as sold lots of records in the process. The Ravens originated with Jimmy Ricks (born 1924, Jackson, FL;... [+] Read More

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Comprised of members Fred Valdez (piano), Roland Bundock (bass), Tony Rizzi (guitar), and John Berry (baritone violectra), the soft jazz quartet Three Cats & a Fiddle issued a lone album in 1964, Gentle Jazz. The group's leader was Rizzi, who performed and/or recorded with such artists as the Paul Smith Quartet, the Dave Pell Quintet, Ted and... [+] Read More

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