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The Jubalaires

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The Jubalaires
The "Original Jubalaires": from left to right Orville Brooks, Theodore (Teddy) Brooks, Caleb Ginyard and George McFadden.
The "Original Jubalaires": from left to right Orville Brooks, Theodore (Teddy) Brooks, Caleb Ginyard and George McFadden.
Background information
OriginFlorida, United States
GenresAmerican folk, gospel, spirituals, proto-rap
Years active1935–1950
LabelsCapitol, Decca, King
Past membersCaleb Ginyard[1]
Willie Johnson[2]

The Jubalaires were an American gospel group active between 1935 and 1950. Previously known as the Royal Harmony Singers in 1936,[1] the band was known for song verses delivered in a rhythmic, rhyming style that has been described as an early version of rapping. Their 1946 song "Noah" is often named as the first recorded instance of rap.[3][4]

History

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The band reached No. 10 on the R&B charts on November 14, 1942, with "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" a song adapted from the speech of a naval chaplain in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor the previous year.[5] Other releases included "Before This Time Another Year" / "Ezekiel (Saw the Wheel A Rollin')" (released under the Decca Records label), "God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down" / "Go Down Moses" (King Records), and "My God Called Me This Morning" / "Ring That Golden Bell" (King Records).[6]

The band recorded with Andy Kirk on November 27, 1945, a session which produced the Decca Records 78rpm release "I Know" / "Get Together with the Lord" credited to Andy Kirk & His Orchestra with the Jubalaires. A third track recorded during the session, "Soothe Me", went unreleased.[7]

In 1946, the Jubalaires secured a spot on Arthur Godfrey's CBS radio show.[8] Willie Johnson left the Golden Gate Quartet to take the lead of the group in 1948, and in 1950 the band appeared in the musical comedy film Duchess of Idaho.[2][9]

The band's recording of "Dreaming of the Ladies in the Moon" (Crown Records) attracted the praise of Billboard magazine, which gave the record a mark of 78/100 in the 17 April 1954 issue, commenting that "The boys here come thru with a strong reading on a bright ballad with an evocative flavor." The reviewer compared the Jubalaires' treatment of the song with the style of the Mills Brothers and predicted it could become a break-out hit.[10] In the 15 December 1951 issue, Billboard praised the group's performance on the release "David and Goliath" / "I've Done My Work" (Capitol Records). However, in the 4 August 1951 issue, the praise provided did not mention the release "Rain is the Teardrops of Angels" / "Keep on Doin' What You're Doin."[11][12][relevant? – discuss]

Most of the music by the Jubalaires was released by Queen Records, a King Records subsidiary specializing in African-American music. However, later reissues of their music would appear under King Records.[13]

Band members

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Original members

  • Orville Brooks, vocals (born January 27, 1919, died August 30, 1997)[14]
  • Theodore Brooks (aka Ted Brooks), baritone vocals (born 1915, died 1997)[15][16]
  • Caleb Ginyard, vocals (born January 15, 1910, died August 11, 1978)[17]
  • George McFadden, vocals

Other members

  • Willie Johnson
  • John Jennings
  • Jimmy Adams
  • Elijah Wright (bass)
  • Willie Wright (tenor)[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b Warner 2006, p. 169
  2. ^ a b Warner 2006, p. 36
  3. ^ Knapp, Francky (16 December 2020). "This 1930s Quartet Didn't Know it, but They Were Rap's First Recorded Artists". Messy Nessy Chic. Archived from the original on 16 Dec 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ^ "The Jubalaires Were Doing Gospel Rap Back in the 1940s". Rapzilla. 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  5. ^ Warner, Jay (2006a). On this day in black music history. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard. p. 320. ISBN 0-634-09926-4. OCLC 62330882.
  6. ^ Lumpkin, Ben Gray; McNeil, Norman L. (Brownie), eds. (1950). Folksongs on records, Volume 2. Denver: Folksongs on Records and Alan Swallow. p. 30. OCLC 1395344.
  7. ^ Kirk, Andy; Lee, Amy; Rye, Howard (1989). "Discography". Twenty years on wheels. Oxford: Bayou Press. p. 141. ISBN 1-871478-20-0. OCLC 19776354.
  8. ^ Mackenzie, Harry (1999). The Directory of the Armed Forces Radio Service Series. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 101. ISBN 0-313-30812-8. OCLC 41612414.
  9. ^ Hanson, Patricia King; Dunkleberger, Amy, eds. (1971). "Duchess of Idaho". The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States: Feature Films, 1941-1950. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 657. ISBN 0-520-21521-4. OCLC 468239657.
  10. ^ "Reviews of new pop records". The Billboard: 22. April 17, 1954. The boys here come thru with a strong reading here on a bright ballad with an evocative flavor. The group handle this tune in Mills Brothers style, which will help get the side some attention. Should pull many jock spins, and it has the chance to break
  11. ^ "Rhythm & Blues record reviews". The Billboard: 33. December 15, 1951. A slick semi-religious item, Is expertly sung by the new Capitol group. Lyrics are slyly humorous, and disk should be watched.
  12. ^ The Billboard: 29. August 4, 1951. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ Ruppli, Michel; Daniels, William R., eds. (1985). The King labels : a discography. Discographies, no. 18. Westport: Greenwood Press. p. 755. ISBN 0-313-25146-0. OCLC 12421822.
  14. ^ "The Jubalaires". www.ugha.users5.50megs.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  15. ^ "Willie Wright and Ted Brooks interview at the Triumphant Gospel Singers Association Quartet Reunion". Florida Memory. March 19, 1983. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  16. ^ Theodore Brooks, Discogs. Accessed 21 Nov 2023
  17. ^ a b "New Page 1". www.ugha.users5.50megs.com. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
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