The Orioles
Led by Sonny Til, the Orioles were the first Black vocal group to sing music directly to a Black audience. Through their early recordings -- which were made in the late '40s and early '50s -- the band laid the groundwork for R&B vocal groups and doo wop. The Orioles fused traditional pop songs with gospel sensibilities and arranged blues and gospel material with smooth harmonies designed to appeal to the broadest audience possible.
Based in Baltimore, Maryland, the Orioles consisted of lead vocalist Sonny Til, Alexander Sharp (tenor vocals), George Nelson (baritone vocals), Johnny Reed (bass vocals), and guitarist Tommy Gaither. Originally called the Vibranaires, the group formed when its members were teenagers. They came to the attention of Deborah Chessler, a local merchant who also wrote songs; she would write many of the group's subsequent hits. Chessler became the band's manager and she was able to get the Vibranaires a spot on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts television show. Although the group lost to pianist George Shearing, they caught the eye of Jerry Blaine, a New York record company executive, while they were in town for the program.
Blaine signed the group to his newly created It's a Natural record label and had the band cut "It's Too Soon to Know," a ballad written by Chessler. After they signed their deal with It's a Natural, the band changed its name to the Orioles. In the late summer of 1948, "It's Too Soon to Know" was released on that label, but shortly after the single's release, National Records complained about the name of Blaine's new label, so he re-released the song on Jubilee Records, a label he'd previously used to release Yiddish comedy records. "It's Too Soon to Know" became a number one R&B hit and crossed over to number 13 on the pop charts. At the time of its release, no Black group had managed to cross over to the pop charts with what was then known as a "race" record. The Orioles immediately followed the success of their debut single with the seasonal "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas," which reached the R&B Top Ten at the end of 1948.
"Tell Me So" became the Orioles' second number one R&B hit in the spring of 1949, beginning a streak of six R&B hit singles that year. In addition to "Tell Me So," the group charted with "A Kiss and a Rose" (number 12, late summer), "I Challenge Your Kiss" (number 11, fall), "Forgive and Forget" (number five, fall), a re-released "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas" (number five, winter), and the B-side of "Lonely Christmas," "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" (number nine, winter).
Following their peak year of 1949, the group ran into tragedy. In 1950, Gaither, Nelson, and Reed suffered an automobile accident that killed Gaither and severely injured the other two members; Nelson quit the group later in the year. As Reed recovered, the group found replacements for Gaither and Nelson, finally settling on guitarist Ralph Williams and vocalist Gregory Carroll. The new lineup of the band had its first hit in 1952, when "Baby Please Don't Go" reached number eight on the R&B charts. The following year, the group had their biggest hit with "Crying in the Chapel." Released in the summer of 1953, "Crying in the Chapel" spent five weeks on the R&B charts and reached number 11 on the pop charts, eventually going gold; Elvis Presley had a hit with the song 12 years later. Toward the end of the year, the group had another Top Ten R&B hit with "In the Mission of St. Augustine." The single would turn out to be their last hit.
In 1954, the Orioles began to splinter, as Sharp and Reed left to join the Ink Spots. Til assembled a new lineup, but the group didn't get much attention. He continued to lead various incarnations of the Orioles, performing concerts and re-recording the group's old hits, until his death in 1981. Nelson died sometime in 1959 and Sharp died in the early '70s. In 1995, 40 years after the original lineup of the group disbanded, the Orioles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
-
Doo Wop Classics
R&B - Paru chez Master Classics Records le 1 janv. 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Still Crying in the Chapel, 1948 - 1962
R&B - Paru chez Jasmine Records le 16 sept. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Orioles 1947-1955
R&B - Paru chez Acrobat Music le 21 juin 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crying In The Chapel
Pop - Paru chez Finestar Records le 27 févr. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Modern Sounds of the Orioles Greatest Hits
Funk - Paru chez Charlie Parker Records le 29 oct. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Hits
R&B - Paru chez Magic Gold Records le 1 févr. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
What Are You Doing New Years' Eve?
R&B - Paru chez Delta Records le 2 nov. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Today (Digitally Remastered)
Soul - Paru chez Essential Media Group le 12 oct. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crying in the Chapel: The Best of The Orioles
Divers - Paru chez Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group le 21 avr. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Orioles' Greatest Hits
Soul - Paru chez Fidelity Masters le 31 mai 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Doo-Wop Stars (Remastered)
R&B - Paru chez Not Out Of Style le 31 janv. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Orioles' Crying In The Chapel
R&B - Paru chez Charly Records le 24 juin 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting the Orioles
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Universal Digital Enterprises le 25 févr. 1949
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In The Chapel (381)
Rock - Paru chez Excess Music le 9 oct. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve
Blues - Paru chez Redwood Records le 17 mars 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
After New Year's Eve
Pop - Paru chez Fantastic Plastic le 1 sept. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jingle Bell Rock
Pop - Paru chez Oldies But Goldies le 4 mai 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Crying in the Chapel (Remastered)
Divers - Paru chez Conarte Grabaciones le 31 janv. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It's Too Soon to Know
Blues - Paru chez Redwood Records le 21 mars 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Back2Back Christmas
The Mills Brothers, The Orioles
Musiques de Noël - Paru chez Play Digital le 1 nov. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo