The Phoenix Singers were a trio of male African-American folk singers active in the early 1960s. The members Ned Wright, Arthur Williams, and Roy Thompson were all former members of

The Belafonte Folk Singers The Belafonte Folk Singers (originally known as The Belafonte Singers) were a vocal group who were active from 1957 to 1965. They were named after singer Harry Belafonte, for whom they originally formed in order to serve as a backing group for reco ...

. The trio was the musical guest on the first broadcast of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, October 1, 1962.

Carson Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname *Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States * Carson, California, a city * Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois *Carson, Iowa, a city * ...

wrote the liner notes for their first record album, ''The Phoenix Singers'', issued by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

, WB1485, 1962. Vocal arrangements and musical direction for this album was by

Milt Okun Milton Theodore Okun (December 23, 1923 – November 15, 2016) was an American arranger, record producer, conductor, singer and founder of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. Okun transformed the careers of a dozen or more major U.S. a ...

. Okun called The Phoenix Singers “one of my failure groups.” ('' Along the Cherry Lane'', 2011, page 106.) Their second and only other album, Warner Bros WB1522, was recorded live at The Shadows (later

The Cellar Door The Cellar Door was a 163-seat music club located at 34th & M Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. from 1964 through January 7, 1982. It occupied the location of a former music club called The Shadows. One of the premie ...

), Georgetown, Washington, DC, entitled ''The Phoenix Singers in Concert''.. The Phoenix Singers also appeared on at episodes of the TV show Hootenanny, as well as the Today show. A few recordings from their albums have recently been added to YouTube.

The singers

Roy Thompson (Leroy B. Thompson)

Bass. Member of The Belafonte Folk Singers, the Phoenix Singers and the Seafarers Chorus. Born in Jamaica. Roy was a

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

graduate from the City College of New York and went to Italy on a Buitoni Music Scholarship. As soloist with The Jubilee Singers, he toured Europe, Asia and North Africa under U.S. Sponsorship. Broadway audiences saw him in "To Late the Phalarope", "Carmen Jones", "Show Boat" and "Jamaica". Thompson wrote, arranged and recorded an album called "Ambassador of Calypso" (Request RLP8029). In early 1959 he joined the vocal quartet accompanying Harry Belafonte on his national tour.

Arthur Williams

Tenor/Baritone. From South Bend, Indiana. Attended Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, and was a winner of the National Negro Musicians Award. Williams appeared with

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

on the Bell Telephone Hour and as a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra and Chorus in the Mozart Requiem. He numbered among his credits Broadway appearances in "Show Boat", Carmen Jones", "Finian's Rainbow" and "Porgy and Bess". Member of The Belafonte Folk Singers and The Phoenix Singers. Appeared with Belafonte on many concerts over the years, notably heard as background voice in "

Try To Remember "Try to Remember" is a song about nostalgia from the musical comedy play ''The Fantasticks'' (1960). It is the first song performed in the show, encouraging the audience to imagine what the sparse set suggests. The words were written by the Amer ...

Ned Wright

Tenor. Born in Ohio, educated at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

and the Juilliard School of Music. Wright studied religious music but made his Broadway debut singing with Katherine Dunham. Later he sang with the Metropolitan Opera Chorus and the Robert Shaw Chorale. Has also appeared in "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Finian's Rainbow" and on Broadway he was featured in "My Darlin' Aida" and "Four Saints in Three Acts". The latter was sent to Paris to represent the US at the World Congress of Music around 1960. As Robbins in "Porgy and Bess" he toured the United States, South America, Russia, 31 countries and five continents. In 1957 Wright joined Harry Belafonte and appeared with him at the Palace, on the Steve Allen Show, "The Bell Telephone Hour" and "Tonight with Belafonte". In the off-Broadway show "Simply Heavenly" he created the role of Watermelon Joe and also played it on Television's "Play of the Week". He also appeared in the film "Odds Against Tomorrow". Member of The Phoenix Singers and The Seafarers Chorus. Vocals on Harry Belafonte's recordings of "Judy Drownded", "Lead Man Holler", "Love Love Alone", "Lucy's Door"

The albums

''The Phoenix Singers "Warner Bros WB-1485"''

# I'm the Man That Built the Bridges # Lovely Choucoune # Wicked Race # Take Matty and Go # Cotton Picking Song # Wave to Me My Lady # Little Rosie # Song of the Land # Run Come See # The Jolly Swagman # Unclouded Day # Didn't It Rain

''The Phoenix Singers in Concert "Warner Bros WB-1522"''

# Music Train # Oh Waly, Waly # Joe Magaroc # There Was A Time # Lead Man Digger # By & By / When the Morning Comes # Hobo's Lullaby # Ole Gator # Diamonds of Dew # Pocoman # Goodnight Irene

References

# Sparks, Richard, and Okun, Milt, (2011), ''Along the Cherry Lane: Tales from the Life of Music Industry Legend Milton Okun'', Classical Music Today, LLC, Beverly Hills, CA # Carson, Johnny, (1962), Liner notes, on ''The Phoenix Singers'', LP Record, Warner Bros. 1485. # The Phoenix Singers. (1962). ''The Phoenix Singers'',. P record, Warner Bros.1485 # The Phoenix Singers. (1964 ?). ''The Phoenix Singers in Concert'',. P record, Warner Bros. 1522 {{DEFAULTSORT:Phoenix Singers American folk musical groups