The Sensational Nightingales publicity photo for Peacock Records

The Sensational Nightingales are a

traditional black gospel Traditional Black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding African American Christian life, as well as (in terms of the varying music styles) to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular mu ...

quartet that reached its peak of popularity in the 1950s, when it featured Julius Cheeks as its lead singer. The Nightingales, with several changes of membership, continue to tour and record. John Fogerty's goal for the line, "rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river", in the song "

Proud Mary "Proud Mary" is a song written by John Fogerty and first recorded by his band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released by Fantasy Records as a single from the band's second studio album, '' Bayou Country'', which was issued by the same ...

" was to evoke male gospel harmonies, as exemplified by groups such as the

Swan Silvertones The Swan Silvertones are an American gospel music group that first achieved popularity in the 1940s and 1950s under the leadership of Claude Jeter. Jeter formed the group in 1938 as the "Four Harmony Kings" while he was working as a coal miner in ...

, the Sensational Nightingales, and the

Five Blind Boys of Mississippi The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi was an American post-war gospel quartet. They started with lead singer Archie Brownlee, their single "Our Father" reached number ten on the Billboard R&B charts in early 1951. Then the screams of their new lea ...

.Fogerty, John (2015).
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', . Little, Brown. .

Musical career

The group was founded in 1942 by Barney Parks, who had formerly sung with

the Dixie Hummingbirds The Dixie Hummingbirds are an influential American gospel music group, spanning more than 80 years from the jubilee quartet style of the 1920s, through the "hard gospel" quartet style of gospel's golden age in the 1940s and 1950s, to the eclecti ...

. Julius "June" Cheeks joined the group in 1946. Cheeks left and returned to the group several times during its heyday, then left in 1960 to form his own group, "the Sensational Knights", Charles Johnson becoming the new lead singer. In 1984, Charles Johnson was replaced by Calvert McNair. The group presently consists of Joseph "JoJo" Wallace, Larry Moore, Horace "Sug" Thompson, and guitarist Darrell Luster. Horace "Sug" Thompson is the grandfather of R&B singe
PatriceLIVE

Discography

* ''Songs of Praise'' (Peacock 101, 1959) * ''Glory Glory'' (Peacock 112, 1963) * ''Travel On'' (Peacock 118, 1964) * ''Prayed Too Late'' (Peacock 131, 1965) * ''Heart and Soul'' (Peacock 154, 1968) * ''It's Gonna Rain Again'' (Peacock 175, 1972) * ''You and I and Everyone'' (Peacock 177, 1973) * ''You Know Not the Hour'' (Peacock 197, 1974) * ''My Sisters and Brothers'' (Peacock 59209, 1974) * ''The Almighty Hand'' (Peacock 59219, 1975) * ''See You in the Rapture'' (Peacock 59227, 1976) * ''Jesus Is Coming'' (Peacock 59232, 1978) * ''All About Jesus'' (Malaco 4368, 1980) * ''Saints Hold On'' (Malaco 4373, 1981) * ''Hymns'' (Malaco 4378, 1982) * ''He Is Real'' (Malaco 4380, 1982) * ''I Surrender All'' (Malaco 4391, 1984) * ''Church Let's Get Ready For The Resurrection!'' (Malaco 4401, 1985) * ''Freedom After a While'' (Malaco 4411, 1987) * ''Victory Is Mine'' (Malaco 4427, 1988) * ''The Truth Shall Make You Free'' (1989) * ''A Message from the Book'' (1991) * ''Stay On The Boat!'' (1992) * ''Don't Give Up!'' (1998) Compilations * ''Wasted Years'', 2001

References

External links

*
The Sensational Nightingales at Yahoo! Music
American gospel musical groups Musical groups established in 1942 Malaco Records artists 1942 establishments in the United States {{Gospel-music-stub

Musical career

Discography

References

Further reading

External links