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| The Charioteers (Inducted 2003) One of the tightest and most popular harmony groups of the 1940s, the Charioteers were another of the handful of aggregations put together in school by a teacher. Their mentor and vocalist was professor Howard Daniel, and their school was Wilberforce University in Ohio. Professor Daniel built his group around the brilliant lead voice of tenor Billy Williams; the other members were Ira Williams and Ed Jackson. Forming in 1930, they originally called themselves the Harmony Four. Later they changed it to the Charioteers, from the song “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” a favorite from the group’s repertoire. Starting out with spirituals, the groups expanded its collection to include a greater number of popular tunes. Their first break came after winning the Ohio State Quartet contest in 1931, and soon after, they were brought in to perform on a Cincinnati radio show at station WLW. They ended up staying with the station for over two years, until another radio series brought them to New York. They signed their first recording contract with Decca Records in 1935. Between 1935 and 1939 they recorded for V-Disc, Vocalion, Brunswick, and Decca without having a hit, yet their popularity grew through radio and liver performances. Unlike most of the popular black vocal groups of the time (like THE INK SPOTS and THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS) who did little backup work, or rarely received credit on records when they did back up major vocalists, the Charioteers had the good fortune to record with three major singers over a 10-year span (1935-1945): Pearl Bailey, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. Their long run as guests on the Bing Crosby radio show seems to have justified label credit alongside the stars. In 1938, they signed with Columbia (and its Okeh affiliate), where they would stay for over 10 years. Ironically, in all that time they only had one R&B chart record, a beautiful ballad “A Kiss and a Rose,” in the summer of 1949. The song, which the Charioteers copied from the Ink Spots’ original rendition of the same year, went to number eight on the R&B charts. Ironically, Billy Williams, a recording member for 14 years, left the Charioteers only five months after their first and only hit. He then formed a new group in early 1950. The rest of the Charioteers also left Columbia in 1950 drifted through five labels over the next seven years, never quite regaining the popularity they had with Billy. Given the Charioteers’ lack of hits, it was pure talent, performance popularity, and relatively stable membership that kept them together for 26 years, recording 75 single releases over 22 of those years. Their last single release was “The Candles” on MGM records in 1957. ~Jay Warner
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| Discography - A Side / B Side | Label / Cat No. |
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| Along Tobacco Road / Ridin’ Around In The Rain Little David Play On Your Harp / Snowball Cancel The Flowers / The Train Song One More Dream My Lord, What A Mornin / I’ve Got A Home In The Rock Medley From “The Fleet’s In Ooh, Look-a There, Ain’t She Pretty Who Words That Are Breaking My Heart Sing a Song Of Six Pence / Way Down Yonder In New Orleans Song Of The Volga Boatmen / Dark Eyes A Brown Bird Singing Laughing Boy Blues / Sing You Sinners My Gal Sal / Forget If You Can Don’t Dally With The Devil / Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child Steal Away To Jesus / Water Boy Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / All God’s Chillun Got Shoes I’m Getting’ Sentimental Over You / Why Should I Complain So Long / The Gaucho Serenade Water Boy / Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Go Down Moses / Were You There Darling, Je Vous Aime Beacoup / Calling Romance I’m In His Care / All God’s Chillun Got Shoes Love’s Old Sweet Song / Silver Threads Among The Gold I Don’t Want To Cry Anymore / Only Forever Calliope Jane / I Should Have Known You Years Ago Steal Away To Jesus / Jesus Is A Rock In A Weary Land The Call Of The Canyon / We’ll Meet Again Goodnight, Mother My Heart’s On Ice Old Folks At Home / Carry Me Back To Old Virginny May I Never Love Again / Why Is A Good Gal So Hard To Find Between Friends / I’ll Forget Braggin’ / You Walk By I Understand / A Dream For Sale Song Of The Volga Boatmen / Dark Eyes Speak To Me Of Love / A Brown Bird Singing Laughing Boy Blues / Sing You Sinners Forget If You Can / My Gal Sal All Alone And Lonely / Careless Love Daddy / Down, Down, Down Wrap Up Your Troubles In Dreams / I Heard Of A City Called Heaven The Cowboy Serenade / Yes Indeed I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire / One Two Three O’Lairy Elmer’s Tune / Hawaiian Sunset Nothin’ / Call It Anything It’s Love I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good / Cancel The Flowers Tica-Tee Tica-Ta / The Train Song Sylvia / This Side Of Heaven Don’t You Notice Anything New / It Doesn’t Cost You Anything Lily Belle / Don’t Forget Tonight Tomorrow No Soup / One More Dream On The Boardwalk / You Make Me Feel Young Bagel And Lox / Rogue River Valley Open The door, Richard / You Can’t See The Sun When You’re Crying Say No More / Chi-Baba Chi-Baba So Long / Ride Red Ride Sylvia / I’m Getting’ Sentimental Over You The Gaucho Serenade / We’ll Meet Again I Miss You So / You’re Breaking In A New Heart I’ve Got A Home In That Rock / Jesus Is A Rock In A Weary Land I’m In The Mood For Love / Sweet Lorraine Sleepy Time Gal / My Fate Is In Your Hands If I Could Be With You / On The Sunny Side Of The Street I Can’t Get Started / Sweet Marie Wat Did He Say / Oooh! Look-A There Ain’t She Pretty Now Is The Hour / Peculiar When I Grow Too Old To Dream / The Last Thing I Want Is Your Pity Run, Run, Run / The Tourist Trade It’s Too Soon To Know / Until A Kiss And A Rose / A Cottage In Old Donegal Who / Don’t Ever Leave Me This Side Of Heaven / Hawaiian Sunset S’Posin’ / I’m The World’s Biggest Fool I’ve Got My Heart On My Sleeve / Don’t Play No Mambo Easy Does It / Tremble, Tremble, Tremble Thanks For Yesterday / I’m A Stranger Forget If You Can / Sleepy River Moon The Candles / I Didn’t Mean To Be Mean To You |
Decca 420 Decca 421 V-Disc 431 V-Disc 673 V-Disc 729 V-Disc 839 V-Disc 865 V-Disc 893 Vocln 3923 Vocln 4015 Vocln 4068 Vocln 4125 Vocln 5025 Okeh 5209 Brns 8459 Brns 8468 Col 35229 Col 35424 Col 35693 Col 35718 Col 35736 Col 35741 Col 35749 Col 35765 Col 35779 Col 35787 Col 35811 Col 35851 Col 35887 Col 35942 Col 35981 Col 36027 Col 36094 Okeh 4015 Okeh 4068 Okeh 4125 Okeh 5025 Okeh 6220 Okeh 6247 Okeh 6292 Okeh 6310 Okeh 6332 Okeh 6390 Okeh 6424 Okeh 6509 Okeh 6589 Col 36730 Col 36792 Col 36854 Col 36903 Col 37074 Col 37195 Col 37240 Col 37384 Col 37399 Col 37518 Col 37519 Col 37546 Col 37853 Col 37912 Col 37913 Col 37914 Col 37915 Col 38065 Col 38115 Col 38187 Col 38261 Col 38329 Col 38438 Hrmny 1059 Col 38602 Kystn 1416 Josie 787 RCA 47-6098 Tuxedo 891 Tuxedo 892 MGM 12569 |
1935 1935 1/38 4/38 5/38 5/38 8/39 1939 9/39 10/39 10/39 4/40 9/40 9/40 10/40 10/40 10/40 10/40 11/40 11/40 11/40 12/40 1/41 2/41 2/41 3/41 5/41 1941 1941 1941 1941 6/41 6/41 7/41 7/41 8/41 9/41 10/41 12/41 2/42 8/44 4/45 9/45 1/46 8/46 12/46 2/47 5/47 6/47 6/47 6/47 6/47 9/47 11/47 11/47 11/47 11/47 12/47 2/48 4/48 7/48 9/48 3/49 10/49 1952 1955 4/55 1955 1955 1957 |
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