Deep River Boys

The Deep River Males remaining a legacy of okay recordings throughout their 50 years of performing, setting a typical for professionalism and longevity that’s to become envied. They started recording like a gospel take action in the past due ’40s and later on turned over and became an R&B take action and were popular in European countries for intervals before coming house towards the Says for triumphant come back engagements. Their tale starts in 1936, when all the Males — Harry Douglas (baritone), Vernon Gardner (1st tenor), George Lawson (second tenor), Jimmy Lundy, and Edward Ware (bass) — had been still college students at Hampton Institute in Virginia within the middle-’30s, performing in the institution choir. They started showing up on radio and in 1937, got a job around the CBS network changing the Oleanders (whose business lead vocalist, Billy Williams, experienced remaining to create the Charioteers). The Deep River Males authorized with Bluebird Information in 1940 and started recording materials, including “From the Light from the Silvery Moon” (which presented Fat Waller on piano). When Harry Douglas went in to the Military, he was changed by Leroy Wayman, who subsequently was changed by Rhett Butler. Douglas came back towards the group in 1946 as well as the Deep River Males started taking pleasure in their biggest achievement, showing up on Milton Berle’s and Kate Smith’s displays and touring with Expenses “Bojangles” Robinson. Like many vocal organizations in their day time, the Deep River Males had more achievement with live show than record product sales, and it wasn’t until 1948’s “Recess in Heaven” which they loved their first strike. Sadly, the newer R&B was simply then rising and their gospel audio was being pressed aside by well-known vocal groups just like the Dominoes, the Orioles, as well as the Ravens. Unlike the 5 Royales (a gospel group who started recording R&B edges for Apollo), the Deep River Young boys were reluctant to improve; instead, they implemented the road of another great gospel band of the ’40s — the Delta Tempo Young boys — and started performing more regularly in European countries. They spent the first ’50s shuttling backwards and forwards, employed in America using the Count number Basie Music group during 1951 and Erskine Hawkins, but additionally signed on to get a record-breaking ten-week engagement on the London Palladium. They afterwards still left RCA for the 3rd party Beacon Information label, which have been reactivated by owner Joe Davis. Nevertheless, many singles for Beacon didn’t generate any brand-new interest as well as the Young boys came back to RCA. In Sept of 1953, Cam Williams changed Jim Lundy as well as the recently configured Deep River Young boys returned to Britain and agreed upon on to get a nine-week appearance on the London Palladium. Within the springtime of 1954, they once more found themselves back again on Davis’ Beacon Information for another time. Through the entire rest of their profession, the Deep River Young boys continued to get sporadic produces on labels like the RCA-subsidiary Vik Information, in addition to Gallant and Wand. George Lawson retired in 1950, implemented six years afterwards by Ed Ware in 1956 (he passed away soon after). Vernon Gardner also still left in 1956. Bass vocalist Ronnie Shiny changed Ware (he’d previously experienced the Cadillacs). In 1963, Shiny had popular of his personal, “Mr. Bass Guy” (quantity 16) with Johnny Cymbal. He later on became a member of Carl Gardner’s lineup from the Coasters. Amazingly, a Harry Douglas-led Deep River Males (having a revolving lineup of fresh members) continued to create appearances well in to the 1980s, 50 years after their founding. In his 80’s, Douglas proceeds to perform sometimes.