The Jubalaires were an
American gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
group active between 1940 and 1950. Previously known as the Royal Harmony Singers in 1936,
the band was known for song verses delivered in a rhythmic, rhyming style that has been described as an early version of
rapping.
History
The band reached #10 on the
R&B charts on November 14, 1942, with "
Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition
"Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" is an American patriotic song by Frank Loesser, published as sheet music in 1942 by Famous Music Corp. The song was a response to the attack on Pearl Harbor that marked United States involvement in World ...
" a song adapted from the speech of a naval chaplain in response to the
attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...
the previous year.
Other releases included "Before This Time Another Year/Ezekiel (Saw the Wheel A Rollin')" (released under the
Decca Records label), "
God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down/Go Down Moses" (
King Records), and "My God Called Me This Morning/Ring That Golden Bell" (King Records).
The band recorded with
Andy Kirk on November 27, 1945, a session which produced the
Decca Records 78rpm
A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...
release "I Know/Get Together with the Lord" credited to Andy Kirk & His Orchestra with the Jubalaires. A third track recorded during the session, "Soothe Me", went unreleased.
In 1946, the Jubalaires secured a spot on
Arthur Godfrey's CBS radio show.
[ Willie Johnson left the ]Golden Gate Quartet
The Golden Gate Quartet (a.k.a. The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet) is an American vocal group. It was formed in 1934 and, with changes in membership, remains active.
Origins and early career
The group was founded as the Golden Gate Jubilee Singe ...
to take the lead of the group in 1948, and in 1950 the band appeared in the musical comedy film ''Duchess of Idaho
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...
''.[
The band's recording of "Dreaming of the Ladies in the Moon" (]Crown Records Crown Records was a budget albums record label founded as a subsidiary of Modern Records in 1957. It has been the name of several different record labels, listed below.
Discography
Mono
Stereo
Other Crown Records
* United Kingdom
** Crown Reco ...
) attracted the praise of '' Billboard'' magazine, which gave the record a mark of 78/100 in the 17 April 1954 issue, commenting that "The boys here come thru with a strong reading on a bright ballad with an evocative flavor." The reviewer compared the Jubalaires' treatment of the song with the style of the Mills Brothers
The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies a ...
and predicted it could become a break-out hit.African-American music
African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slaver ...
. However, later reissues of their music would appear under King Records.
Band members
Original members
* Orville Brooks, vocals (born January 27, 1919, died August 30, 1997)
* Theodore Brooks, vocals (born 1915, died 1997)
* Caleb Ginyard, vocals (born January 15, 1910, died August 11, 1978)
References
*
External links
*
"The Jubalaires"
– extensive article by Karen Caplan prepared for the 8th annual United in Harmony Association Hall of Fame Ceremony held on April 4, 1998
by Tony Fournier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jubalaires, The
American gospel musical groups
Capitol Records artists
Decca Records artists
King Records artists
Men's musical groups
Vocal ensembles
Musical groups established in 1936