The Singers Unlimited was a four-part jazz vocal group formed by

Gene Puerling Eugene Thomas Puerling (March 31, 1929 – March 25, 2008) was a vocal performer and vocal arranger. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Puerling created and led the vocal groups The Hi-Lo's and The Singers Unlimited. He was awarded a Grammy Awa ...

in 1971. The group included

Len Dresslar Elmer "Len" Dresslar Jr. (March 25, 1925 – October 16, 2005) was an American voice actor and vocalist. He is best known as the deep Bass (vocal range), bass voice of the Jolly Green Giant in commercials for General Mills. Early life He serve ...

(better known as the

Jolly Green Giant Green Giant and Le Sueur (spelled Le Sieur in Canada) are brands of frozen and canned vegetables owned by B&G Foods. The company's mascot is the Jolly Green Giant. Company and brand history The Minnesota Valley Canning Company was founded in ...

General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...

commercials), Bonnie Herman, and Don Shelton.

History

Gene Puerling (1929-2008) and Don Shelton (1934-Present) had formed part of Puerling's vocal group,

The Hi-Lo's The Hi-Lo's were a vocal quartet formed in 1953, who achieved their greatest fame in the late 1950s and 1960s. The group's name is a reference to their extreme vocal and physical ranges (Bob Strasen and Bob Morse were tall, Gene Puerling and Cla ...

some years previously, though Shelton was a 1959 replacement for Hi-Lo's member Bob Strasen. The Singers Unlimited were created to record for commercials, but as time passed they were persuaded to record albums. On the recommendation of jazz pianist

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

, they signed a contract with

MPS Records MPS Records was a German jazz record company and label founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer. MPS stands for "Musik Produktion Schwarzwald" (Music Production Black Forest). History Originally based in Villingen, MPS was founded as the su ...

in Germany. Peterson's trio played on their first-recorded album, '' In Tune''. The group made fifteen albums. Fourteen were recorded for MPS between 1971 and 1982 and were collected in the box set ''Magic Voices''. Puerling's arrangements for Singers Unlimited earned him a reputation as one of the best vocal writers in the world. Members of the vocal group

Take 6 Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music, gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood University, Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received seve ...

often give credit to him and the Singers Unlimited as innovators in a cappella, claiming they "went to school" on his arrangements. Puerling took advantage of cutting-edge, multi-tracking techniques of German studio engineer

Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

to create his harmonic concepts and the group's signature sound. In the overdubbing process, baritone Puerling and tenor Shelton would often add two additional middle parts, after which all parts were "doubled" and "tripled." Creating these extra tracks created the fuller, richer sound of the group's recordings. The group would record their songs by having Bonnie Herman record a simplified version of the melody, after which, Len, Gene, and Don would fill in the remaining parts. Once this process had been completed, Bonnie Herman's original melodic line would be replaced with a new one, in which she could add melodic embellishments and add "color" to the group's sound. Bass singer Len Dresslar (1924–2005) was known as the voice of the Jolly

Green Giant Green Giant and Le Sueur (spelled Le Sieur in Canada) are brands of frozen and canned vegetables owned by B&G Foods. The company's mascot is the Jolly Green Giant. Company and brand history The Minnesota Valley Canning Company was founded in ...

("Ho, Ho, Ho!") for over 40 years, as well as the voice behind other jingles. He was president of the Chicago branch of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) for several years in the mid-to-late 1980s. Bonnie Herman was the singer of the original "Like a Good Neighbor,

State Farm State Farm Insurance is a large group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Overview State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance provider, and the la ...

Is There" commercial jingle, which ran for several years. She is the daughter of

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted the ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. His style came to be known as "champagne music" to his radio, tele ...

original Champagne Lady Lois Best and Jules Herman, who was a trumpeter in the Welk orchestra. She is the niece of big band leader

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Discography

* ''A Capella'' (MPS, 1971) * ''Christmas'' (MPS, 1972) * ''Four of Us'' (MPS, 1973) * ''In Tune'' with the Oscar Peterson Trio (MPS, 1973) * ''Invitation'' with Art Van Damme (MPS, 1974) * ''A Capella II'' (MPS, 1975) * ''Feeling Free'' with the Pat Williams Orchestra (MPS, 1975) * ''A Special Blend'' (MPS, 1976) * ''Sentimental Journey'' (MPS, 1976) * ''Friends'' (Pausa, 1977) * ''Eventide'' (MPS, 1978) * ''Just in Time'' (Pausa, 1978) * ''A Capella III'' (MPS, 1980) * ''The Singers Unlimited with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass'' (Pausa, 1979) * ''Easy to Love'' (Pausa, 1981)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singers Unlimited American jazz ensembles American vocal groups Musical groups established in 1971 Professional a cappella groups Vocal quartets Vocal jazz ensembles