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 both their extreme vocal and physical ranges (Bob Strasen and Bob Morse were tall; Gene Puerling and Clark Burroughs were short).

History

The group consisted of Gene Puerling (bass-baritone or fourth voice, arranger, leader, and occasional soloist), Bob Strasen (baritone or third voice), Bob Morse (baritone or second voice and frequent soloist) and Clark Burroughs (tenor or first voice/lead). In 1959, Strasen left the group after he began losing his voice to unknown causes. After Strasen's departure, Morse switched to the baritone or third part and tenor Don Shelton sang the second part. They were occasionally supported by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

. Clare Fischer was their pianist for years and occasionally wrote arrangements for the group. The Hi-Lo's recorded the theme song to the 1956 television series ''Noah's Ark''. They were also featured on the soundtrack of the motion picture ''Everything's Ducky'' (1961), contributing three songs: "Everything's Ducky," "Moonlight Music," and "The Scuttlebutt Walk." They made numerous appearances on television and had many live performances. The first group which had the Hi-Lo's name was a barbershop quartet from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

; that group won an award in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

in 1945. None of those original members were in Puerling's group which started some years later, The Singers Unlimited.

Individual group members

In 1966, Gene Puerling and Don Shelton along with Bonnie Herman and Len Dressler, formed another vocal group, The Singers Unlimited. The group provided a wide range for Puerling's arrangements, the four singers multi-tracked as many as 16 voices. For that reason The Singers Unlimited were almost exclusively a recording group. Bob Strasen died February 28, 1994 and Bob Morse on April 27, 2001. Afterward, Puerling, Shelton, and Clark Burroughs still appeared as the Hi-Los's however only occasionally in various cities in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Shelton is an accomplished reed player and has played in Clare Fischer's bands. Burroughs is semi-retired and can sometimes be heard on film soundtracks. On March 25, 2008, Puerling died just before his 79th birthday.

Legacy

The Hi-Lo's and especially their innovative use of vocal harmony, were an influence on the groups and musicians

Take 6 Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received several Grammy Awards as well as D ...

, The King's Singers, The Manhattan Transfer, Chanticleer, The Free Design,

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

,West, Michael J
"Herbie Hancock Remembers Clare Fischer"
''Jazz Times'', 04-05-2013. Retrieved October 21, 2015.

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, First Call, and

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

Discography

* ''Listen!'' ( Starlite, 1954) * ''I Presume'' (Starlite, 1955) * ''On Hand'' (Starlite, 1956) * ''Under Glass'' (Starlite, 1956) * ''The Hi-Lo's and the Jerry Fielding Orchestra'' ( Kapp, 1956) * '' Ring Around Rosie'' with Rosemary Clooney ( Columbia, 1957) * ''Suddenly It's the Hi-Lo's'' (Columbia, 1957) * '' Now Hear This'' (Columbia, 1957) * ''Love Nest'' (Columbia, 1958) * ''And All That Jazz'' (Columbia, 1958) with The Marty Paich Dek-Tette; the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 * ''Reflections in Rhythm with the Hi-Lo's!'' (Tiara Spotlight, 1958) * ''The Hi-Lo's in Stereo'' (Omega Disk, 1959) * ''All Over the Place'' (Columbia, 1960) * '' Broadway Playbill'' (Columbia, 1960) * '' This Time It's Love'' ( Philips, 1961) * ''Happen to Folk Songs with Billy May'' ( Reprise, 1962) * ''The Hi-Lo's Happen to Bossa Nova'' (Reprise, 1963) * ''Back Again'' ( MPS, 1979) * ''Now'' ( Pausa, 1981) * ''Cherries and Other Delights'' ( Hindsight, 1993) * ''Together Wherever We Go'' (Sony, 1994)

References

"Avakian to Cut Hi-Lo's on 1st Col. Album"
''Billboard''. December 29, 1956
"Hi-Lo's Exit Trend, Following Others"
''Billboard''. December 4, 1954
"Music as Written: Trend Signs Hi-Lo Combo"
'' Billboard''. January 30, 1954
"The Hi-Lo's Shout Their Thanks"
''Billboard''. December 3, 1955
"Hi-Lo Quartet Will Entertain at 'Y'-Day"
''La Habra Star''. October 23, 1959
"Nation's Top Jazz Groups to Appear at College on Saturday"
''San Bernardino Sun''. March 2, 1956
"TV Highlights: 'Disneyland Goes to the World's Fair'"
''San Bernardino Sun''. May 17, 1964 * Gold, Don. "'The Best Vocal Group Ever'". ''The Chicago Tribune''. December 22, 2002 * Grevatt, Ben
"Night Club Reviews: Basin Street East Line-Up Solid"
''Billboard''. July 27, 1959 * Grevatt, Ben
"Hi-Lo's Win Birdland With Oldies"
''Billboard''. June 16, 1958 * Grevatt, Ben
"The Hi-Lo's: Birdland, New York"
''Billboard''. June 10, 1957 * Hopkins, Mark W. "Precise Harmony Makes Hi-Lo's a Welcome Treat". ''The Milwaukee Journal''. July 2, 1960 * Lewis, Don "Easy Listening: A Hi-Lo's High". ''The Milwaukee Journal''. July 19, 1981 * Rolontz, Bob
"MJQ Fine But Hi-Lo's Steal Show"
''Billboard''. February 15, 1960 * Sharbutt, Jay (AP)
"Singers Unlimited Sounds a Lot Like the Hi-Lo's"
''Santa Cruz Sentinel''. July 20, 1980 * Sowa, Tom
"The Hi-Lo's Then and Now"
''The Spokane Spokesman-Review''. November 20, 1981

Books

Warner, Jay
"The 1950s"
''American Singing Groups: From 1940 to Today''. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation. 2006. p. 224.

External links

The Hi-Lo's at Singers.comAll About Jazz
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hi-Lo's American jazz ensembles American vocal groups Columbia Records artists Musical groups established in 1953 Professional a cappella groups Reprise Records artists Vocal jazz ensembles