Golden Gate Quartet

Pioneer Virginia gospel/pop quartet from the ’30s and ’40s. Contacting their innovative method of sacred hymns “jubilee” performing, the Golden Gate Quartet, propelled by Willie Johnson and William Langford, liked massive acceptance significantly outside the cathedral. Their simple Mills Brothers-influenced harmonies produced the Gates naturals for pop crossover achievement, and they started documenting for Victor in 1937. Country wide radio broadcasts and an appearance on John Hammond’s 1938 “Spirituals to Golf swing” concert at Carnegie Hall produced them coast-to-coast favorites. By 1941 the Gates had been documenting for Columbia minus Langford, and film appearances were regular: Superstar Spangled Tempo, Hollywood Canteen, and Strike Parade of 1943, to mention several. Some tests with R&B materials didn’t skillet out through the past due ’40s, and Johnson defected towards the Jubilaires in 1948. The group emigrated to France in 1959; led by veteran bass vocalist Orlando Wilson, the Golden Gate Quartet’s vocal mix is as effective as ever.