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 Singers in 1934, by four students at Booker T. Washington High School in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

. According to the group's website, the original members were Willie Johnson (baritone; d. 1980), William Langford (tenor; d. 1970), Henry Owens (second tenor; d. 1970) and Orlandus Wilson (bass; 1917–1998); other sources state that Langford and Wilson replaced earlier members Robert "Peg" Ford and A.C. "Eddie" Griffin in 1935. From 1935, the group sang in churches and on local

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

, gaining a regular spot on radio station WIS in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

in 1936.Seamus McGarvey, ''The Golden Gate Quartet'', in '' Juke Blues'' magazine, no. 71, 2011, pp. 42–45 They began as a traditional jubilee quartet, combining the clever arrangements associated with

barbershop quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment, or a cappella. The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

s with rhythms borrowed from the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

scat singing In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

. They developed a broad repertoire of styles – from Owens' mournful, understated approach in songs such as "Anyhow" or " Hush, Somebody's Calling My Name", to the group's highly

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "plac ...

arrangements in "

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hebrew names Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) are figures from the biblical Book of Daniel, primarily chapter 3. In the narrative, the three Hebrew men are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar II, King o ...

". Like

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 an ...

in popular music, they would often include vocal special effects in their songs, imitating train sounds in songs such as "Golden Gate Gospel Train". Langford often sang lead, using his ability to range from baritone to falsetto, while Johnson narrated in a hip syncopated style that became the hallmark for the group. Wilson's bass served as the anchor for the group and Owens harmonized with Langford and Johnson. In 1937 they moved to station WBT in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, and soon afterwards won a contract with

Bluebird Records Bluebird Records is a record label best known for its low-cost releases, primarily of kids' music, blues and jazz in the 1930s and 1940s. It was founded in 1932 as a lower-priced RCA Victor subsidiary label of RCA Victor. Bluebird became known ...

. After their first recording session on August 14, 1937, in which they recorded 14 songs in two hours, they were contracted to record 12 tracks per year. In 1938, they were recruited by John Hammond to appear at the first ''

From Spirituals To Swing ''From Spirituals to Swing'' was the title of two concerts presented by John Hammond in Carnegie Hall on 23 December 1938 and 24 December 1939. The concerts included performances by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson, ...

'' concert held at Carnegie Hall in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, after which their popularity grew. An example of their output during this popular period includes a 1938 recording of ' John the Revelator' being inducted into the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

in 2005. They stayed in New York and were signed up for a residency at the

Cafe Society A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...

nightclub. As well as performing and recording gospel songs they also recorded some secular songs for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

, who were intending to bill them as "The Four Chocolate Bars", but the recordings were not released. In 1939, William Langford left the group to form a new group, the Southern Sons; he was replaced by Clyde Riddick (1913–1999).

The 1940s and 1950s

In 1940 the group signed a new contract with Columbia Records' subsidiary

Okeh Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

label, and shortened their name to the Golden Gate Quartet. They soon had a nationwide radio program and the opportunity to sing at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's inauguration in 1941, becoming the first black musical group to sing at

Constitution Hall DAR Constitution Hall is a concert hall located at 1776 D Street NW, near the White House in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to house its annual convention when membership delegations outgrew Me ...

and later performing several times at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. They continued to be popular during

World War Two World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, making several appearances in Hollywood films and singing secular music, including some unique

popular front A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault". More generally, it is "a coalition ...

songs such as " Stalin Wasn't Stallin'" that mixed humor with political commentary. The Quartet appeared in films such as '' Star Spangled Rhythm'' (1942), '' Hit Parade of 1943'' (1943), ''

Hollywood Canteen The Hollywood Canteen operated at 1451 Cahuenga Boulevard in the Los Angeles, California, neighborhood of Hollywood between October 3, 1942, and November 22, 1945 (Thanksgiving Day), as a club offering food, dancing and entertainment for serv ...

'' (1944), and the Danny Kaye film ''

A Song Is Born ''A Song Is Born'' (also known as ''That's Life''), starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo, is a 1948 Technicolor musical film remake of Howard Hawks' 1941 movie ''Ball of Fire'' with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. This version was also d ...

'' (1948). In the latter film, they performed the songs "

Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" (or alternatively "Joshua Fought de Battle of Jericho", "Joshua Fit the Battle" or just Joshua and various other titles) is a well-known African-American spiritual. The lyrics allude to the biblical story of th ...

" and part of "A Song Is Born" with Louis Armstrong and

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. ...

. Johnson was called into the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in 1943, followed by Wilson in 1944; they were temporarily replaced by Cliff Givens – who later left to join firstly

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ac ...

and then Billy Ward and His Dominoes – and Alton Bradley. The group moved first to the main Columbia record label and then, in 1948, to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

. Johnson left in 1948 to join The Jubalaires, and was replaced by Orville Brooks (1919–1997). The quartet lost their pre-eminent position in gospel music after the war, when they faced competition from the newer hard gospel quartets. They continued in their old style, offering sharper political commentary in songs such as "God's Gonna Cut You Down", but losing much of their audience to quartets such as

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 ...

and

the Soul Stirrers The Soul Stirrers were an American gospel music group, whose career spans over eighty years. The group was a pioneer in the development of the quartet style of gospel, and a major influence on soul, doo wop, and Motown, some of the secular musi ...

. Henry Owens left in 1950 to become a preacher and solo artist. Alton Bradley returned to replace him, but then left in 1952 when he was replaced by Eugene Mumford (1925–1977), previously of

The Larks The Larks were an American vocal group, active in the early 1950s. They were not the same group as the Los Angeles-based Larks (originally The Meadowlarks) featuring Don Julian, nor the Philadelphia-based group The Four Larks. Original members * ...

. The Golden Gates revived their career in 1955, however, when they toured

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

for the first time, where they became widely popular. The group moved to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

in 1959 and has continued touring, primarily in Europe, since then. During his stint in the US Army, in Germany,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, who was a huge “admirer” of their work since his early childhood, visited them backstage at "Le Casino" in Paris, and stayed to watch their entire show, staying also with them at the hotel "Prince de Galles". Presley recorded a version of their popular " Swing Down Chariot" that appeared on his ''

His Hand in Mine ''His Hand in Mine'' is the fifth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on November 23, 1960 by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, catalog number LPM/LSP 2328. It was the first of three gospel albums that Presley woul ...

'' gospel album. During this time there were further personnel changes: Orville Brooks left and was replaced by Franck Todd and later in turn by Caleb Ginyard (1910–1978), and Eugene Mumford was replaced by Clyde Wright (born May 1, 1928, Charlotte, North Carolina). Since the 1950s, the group has been primarily based in Europe. They toured widely in the late 1950s, including

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

-sponsored tours around the world. In 1959, the group started a two-year residency at the

Casino de Paris The Casino de Paris, located at 16, rue de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement, is one of the well known music halls of Paris, with a history dating back to the 18th century. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a performance venue, not ...

Later activities

The group made their first tour of Africa in 1962, and during the early 1960s gradually expanded their accompanying band to incorporate guitar, piano, bass and drums. Through the 1960s they toured widely in Europe, with a long-established line-up of Orlandus Wilson, Clyde Riddick, Caleb Ginyard, and Clyde Wright. In 1971, Ginyard and Wright left, and were replaced by Paul Brembly (the great-nephew of Orlandus Wilson) and Calvin Williams. Wright returned to the group in 1985 to replace Williams, who returned to the US. Bill "Willie" Johnson worked with Eugene Mumford and Cliff Givens in his own version of The Golden Gate Quartet in the late '70s out of the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

area, most notably appearing on Ry Cooder's "

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

" album, and appearing with Cooder in his 1978 "

Soundstage A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie stu ...

" performance, with Givens, Pico Payne, and Jimmy Adams (though Johnson didn't use the group name in these particular appearances). The group undertook a 60th anniversary world tour in 1994. Riddick remained with the group until his retirement in 1995, and Wilson, the last surviving member of the original group, until his death in 1998. Riddick was replaced by Frank Davis. Wright was replaced by Charles West (Nephew to Wilson) of Portsmouth, VA. The position of bass singer has in recent years been filled by Thierry Fred François, Richard Phillips, and, since 2005, by Anthony Gordon.

Recognition

In his 1978 album ''Guigui'' musician Michel Jonasz used excerpts from their recording of "

" to mix into the song "Golden Gate". The Golden Gate Quartet was inducted into The

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

in 1998. Track "Jezebel" from 2000 Liquid (Recoil album) is based on Quartet's sample. In his 2011 album ''

So Beautiful or So What ''So Beautiful or So What'' is the twelfth solo studio album by American folk rock singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was released on April 8, 2011, by Hear Music. The album found Simon reuniting with former collaborator and record producer Ph ...

'' musician Paul Simon used excerpts from their 1938 recording of "Golden Gate Gospel Train" to mix into the song "Love & Blessings". In addition, the group's music was also featured in the video game Battlefield Bad Company.

Members after 1934

ImageSize = width:1200 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:70 top:0 right:05 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1934 till:01/01/2017 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:vocals value:teal legend:First, ténor id:bass value:purple legend:Bass id:charmo value:green legend:Second, tenor id:lead value:blue legend:Baritone id:bars value:gray(0.93) BackgroundColors = bars:bars Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1934 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1934 PlotData= width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,10) bar:William Langford † from:01/01/1934 till:01/06/1939 color:vocals bar:Clyde Riddick † from:01/06/1939 till:01/06/1994 color:vocals bar:Franck Davis from:01/06/1994 till:end color:vocals bar:Orlandus Wilson † from:01/01/1934 till:01/06/1944 color:bass bar:Clifford Givens † from:01/06/1944 till:01/01/1946 color:bass bar:Orlandus Wilson † from:01/01/1946 till:31/12/1998 color:bass bar:Terry François from:31/12/1998 till:01/01/2005 color:bass bar:Terry François from:01/01/2012 till:end color:bass bar:Richard Phillips from:01/01/2005 till:30/11/2005 color:bass bar:Anthony Gordon from:01/01/2006 till:01/01/2012 color:bass bar:Henry Owens † from:01/01/1934 till:01/06/1950 color:charmo bar:Alton Bradley † from:01/06/1950 till:01/06/1951 color:charmo bar:Eugène Mumford † from:01/06/1951 till:01/06/1954 color:charmo bar:Clyde Wright from:01/06/1954 till:01/06/1971 color:charmo bar:Calvin Williams † from:01/06/1971 till:01/06/1985 color:charmo bar:Clyde Wright from:01/06/1985 till:01/06/1995 color:charmo bar:Charles West from:01/06/1995 till:01/06/1999 color:charmo bar:Clyde Wright from:01/06/1999 till:01/01/2012 color:charmo bar:Thimothy Riley from:01/01/2012 till:end color:charmo bar:Willy Johnson † from:01/01/1934 till:01/10/1942 color:lead bar:Joe Johnson † from:01/10/1942 till:01/12/1943 color:lead bar:Alton Bradley † from:01/12/1943 till:01/01/1946 color:lead bar:Willy Johnson † from:01/01/1946 till:01/06/1948 color:lead bar:Orville Brooks † from:01/06/1948 till:01/06/1954 color:lead bar:Bill Bing † from:01/06/1954 till:01/03/1955 color:lead bar:Frank Todd † from:01/03/1955 till:31/10/1955 color:lead bar:Caleb Ginyard † from:31/10/1955 till:01/06/1971 color:lead bar:Paul Brembly from:01/06/1971 till:end color:lead

Current members

* Paul Brembly – (born 1950) * Terry François – (born 1968) * Timothy Riley * Frank Davis

Past members

* Calvin Williams – (1921–2010) * William Langford – (1909–1969) * Henry Owens- (†1970) * Eugene Mumford – (1925–1977) * J. Caleb Ginyard – (1910–1978) * Willie Johnson – (†1980) * Joe Jonhson – (1914–1984) * Clifford Givens – (1918–1989) * Orville Brooks – (1919–1997) * Orlandus Wilson – (1917–1998) * Clyde Riddick – (1913–1999) * Clyde Wright – (birth in 1928) * Richard Phillips – (birth in 1943) * Bill Bing – (December 22, 1922 – January 23, 2014) * Charles West (?) * Alton Bradley (†) * Frank Todd (1933–2016) *Anthony L. Gordon (born 1957)

Discography

Selected singles

* Bluebird 7564: "Pure Religion" / "Remember Me" (both recorded January 24, 1938) * Okeh 6713: "Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer" (recorded May 1943) / "Run On" (recorded March 1942)Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone
"The Online Discographical Project – Okeh (CBS) 6500 – 6747 (1941–45)"
Retrieved February 21, 2011 * Okeh 6741: "

I Will Be Home Again "I Will Be Home Again" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Raymond Leveen, and Lou Singer, in 1944. The Golden Gate Quartet recorded the song on March 16, 1945. This version was released on Okeh Records #6741.Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Ty ...

" / "The General Jumped at Dawn" (both sides recorded March 16, 1945) * Columbia 37236: "Atom and Evil" / "Shadrach" (both recorded June 5, 1946)Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone
"The Online Discographical Project – COLUMBIA (Microphone label, USA) 37000 to 37500 Numerical Listing"
Retrieved February 21, 2011

78RPM singles (1937–1952)

Selected albums

* 2010 – ''Incredible'' * 2003 – ''The Good Book'' * 2003 – ''Gospel Train'' * 1999 – ''Our Story'' * 1997 – ''The Very Best of the Golden Gate Quartet'' * 1961 – ''Negro Spirituals'' * 1957 – ''That Golden Chariot'' * 1956 – ''The Golden Gate Quartet amden' * 1950 – ''The Golden Gate Spirituals'' * 1949 – ''Joshua fit the battle''

References

External links

Clyde Wright official website

The Golden Gate Quartet official website

discography and biography excerpts o
singers.com

*
The Golden Gate Quartet recordings
at the Internet Archive. For the latest update of The Golden Gate Quartet, please go to their official Facebook Page.
The Golden Gate Quartet Sings
- Old Time Radio Researchers (otrr.org) Maintained Set of the radio program at the Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Gate Quartet 1934 establishments in Virginia African-American musical groups American gospel musical groups Bluebird Records artists Gospel quartets Musical groups established in 1934