ABOVE: THE CHARIOTEERS, (L-R) EDWARD JACKSON, IRA WILLIAMS, BILLY WILLIAMS, HOWARD DANIEL, and JAMES SHERMAN (on piano).

INTRODUCTION: Back in 2020 I wrote an article on my Facebook page about Black Universities and Colleges vocal Quartets. However, I got complaints from some of my friends who said they were not on Facebook (for which I don't blame them). So I decided to put my article online, expanded with new information and more photos for everyone to see. Before I get to the histories of these Quartets I have to mention two important points of information about them. First, these Quartets sang mostly Spirituals. In Gospel music, vocal groups are call Quartets. If the group has more than four singers they are still called a "Quartet" as long as the group still retains the four part harmony. The second has to do with the training of these Quartets. Revisionists like to paint a picture that all black vocal groups are nothing more than a bunch of amateurs with no formal vocal training. It is certainly not the case with the black universities and colleges vocal Quartets. Black universities and colleges formed and trained vocal Quartets for only one purpose and that is to perform in public to raise funds for the schools. Before the school Quartets perform in public they all require at least two years of vocal training. They then first perform in public during their Junior year to become the school Quartet. The schools were making sure that the Quartets were trained properly before they performed in public. I notice from newspaper advertisements and articles from the 1930's that it's sometimes mentioned that the Quartet was either a Junior Quartet or a Senior Quartet. The schools would sometimes have their Quartets be part of a sextet or a octet. When all the members of the school Quartet graduate, they are no longer the school Quartet and a new vocal Quartet takes their place starting in their Junior year. This way the school will always have continuous Quartets for the public. I have to mention that most of these schools have choirs and some have ensembles that are made up of former students. Also, most of these Quartets are not fixed Quartets. From their Freshman year to their Senior year they can have members coming in and out. This all started with THE FISK JUBILEE SINGERS in 1871. Throughout the 1870's, THE FISK JUBILEE SINGERS were very successful in raising money for their school which was Fisk University (1866). So successful was THE FISK JUBILEE SINGERS, that other black universities and colleges took notice and formed their own Quartets. I am not going to discuss the history of FISK JUBILEE SINGERS in this article as I had already done that for this website in a different article.

THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS: Let's start with THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS, also known as THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE QUARTET, from Tuskegee Institute (1881) in Alabama. There were many incarnations of THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS. They were originally formed in 1884 and consisted of two students, HIRAM H. THWEATT and JOHN F. MCLEMORE, and two students from Hampton Institute, ROBERT H. HAMILTON (Lead) and WARREN LOGAN. A later group were CHARLES WINTER WOOD - Lead, WILLIAM G.WASHINGTON - 1st Tenor, WILLIAM LEVI DAWSON - 2nd Tenor, WILLIAM T. HANDY - also 2nd Tenor, HAROLD WILSON - Baritone, and RUTHERFORD SANDERS - Bass. In late 1914 they were RICHARD D. MANN, LUTHER N. DAVIDSON, LEROY BROWN, CHARLES E. ANDERSON, and THOMAS F. RAY. In April 1917 they were LEROY BROWN - 1st Tenor, WILLIAM HANDY - 2nd Tenor, ROBERT HAMILTON - also 2nd Tenor, PRESTON RONEY - Baritone, and V.L. PLEASANT - Bass. In 1931 they were LEROY BROWN - 1st Tenor, ALVIN J. NEELY - 2nd Tenor, NATHANIEL MCCRAY - Baritone, and WILLIAM WILEY - Bass. In 1936 they were OTIS D. WRIGHT - 1st Tenor, IRVIN JONES - 2nd tenor, DAVID CORNELIUS - also 2nd Tenor, CARL BRAXTON - Baritone, WILLIAM A. WILEY - Bass, and LUCIUS BACOTE - also bass. In January 1940 they were LEROY BROWN - Tenor, WILLIAM GORDON - 1st Tenor, ALGIE HOUGH - 2nd Tenor, CARL BRAXTON - Baritone, and EDWARD SCALES - Bass. In August 1940 they were OTIS D. WRIGHT - 1st Tenor, CHARLES FOXY - Tenor, WILLIAM BROWN - Tenor, DANIEL ANDREWS - Baritone, and WILLIAM A. WILEY - Bass. In 1941 they were OTIS D. WRIGHT - 1st Tenor, WILLIAM HOWARD - Tenor, FRED PARK - Tenor, DANIEL ANDREWS - Baritone, and WILLIAM A. WILEY - Bass. In 1953 we have MARVIN WILIFORD, SMITH WILLIAMS, WILLIAM CARTER, SULLIVAN WILLIAM, DANIEL HAROLD, and BEN RICHARDSON. Also in 1953 we have WILLIAM WILEY, DWIGHT BURGESS, JAMES WALLACE, and WILLIE PAUL.

THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS — 1901 THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS — 1914 THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS — 1914 THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS — 1914 THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS — 1917 THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS — 1940

THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY QUARTET: From Atlanta University (1865), we have THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY QUARTET. In 1894 they were JAMES WELDON JOHNSON, GEORGE A. TOWNS, ROBERT W. GADSDEN (or GLADSEN), and JOSEPH PORTER. In 1897 they were GEORGE A. TOWNS, ROBERT W. GLADSEN (or GADSDEN), E.L. SIMON, and ALEXANDER SENGSTACKE. In 1899 they were GEORGE PORTER, JOSEPH PORTER, T.L. ANDERSON, and ALEXANDER SENGSTACKE. In 1905 we have EDWARD COBB - 1st Tenor, R.M. SMITH - 2nd Tenor, W.H. WATSON - 1st Bass, and L.P. OLIVER - 2nd Bass. 1911 THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY QUARTET were L.P. WILLIAMS - Tenor, B.W. BURKS - Tenor, D.L. SLAUGHTER - Bass, and P.S. RICHARDSON - Bass. And in 1915 SIDNEY WOODARD, ANDREW STRICKLAND, LEIGH MAXWELL, and WALTER SMITH.

THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY QUARTET — 1894 THE ATLANTA UNIVERSITY QUARTET — 1894

THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY QUARTET: Now let's look at THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY QUARTET. In 1935 they were Q.E. PRIMO - 1st Tenor, R.N. JOYNER - 2nd Tenor, W.E. KIDD - 1st Bass, and C.L. EVANS - 2nd Bass. In 1938 they were ROBERT F. FREEMAN - 1st Tenor, HURDLE C. JACKE - 2nd Tenor, JAMES A. SIMS - Baritone, and JAMES E. JOHNSON - Bass. In 1939 they were WILLIAM T. COBB (or SOBB) - 1st Tenor, WOODSON H. HOPEWELL - 2nd Tenor, LEMUEL L. TUCKER - Baritone, and MARTIN V. WATER - Bass. In 1948 they were FELDER E. ROUSE JR. - 1st Tenor, ELLWOOD JACKSON - 2nd Tenor, ERNEST WHITSIDE - Baritone, and JOHN WITHERS - Bass. And in 1949 FELDER ROUSE, JOHN L. ROBINSON, CHESTER ADAMS, and WILLIAM A. HAMMOND JR.

THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY QUARTET — 1939 (L-R) MARTIN V. WATERS, LEMUEL L. TUCKER, WOODSON H. HOPEWELL, and WILLIAM T. COBB or SOBB. THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY QUARTET — 1946 THE LINCOLN UNIVERSITY QUARTET — 1949 (L-R) FELDER E. ROUSE, JOHN L. ROBINSON, CHESTER ADMANS and WILLIAM A. HAMMOND.

THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE QUARTET: Now lets look at THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE QUARTET from Morehouse College (1867) in Atlanta, Georgia. THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE QUARTET in 1933 consisted of SIMON C. CLEMENTS - 1st Tenor, EDWARD R. RODRIGUEZ - 2nd Tenor, KENNETH R. WILLIAMS - 1st Bass, and WILSON P. HUBERT - 2nd Bass. In 1934 they were CLAUDE ROBINSON - 1st Tenor, MARTIN GRAHAM - 2nd Tenor, DAVID MELLS - 1st Bass, and ANTHONY STEPHENS - 2nd Bass. In July 1942 they were EMANUEL MANFIELD - 1st Tenor, JOHN TURNER - 2nd Tenor, WILLIAM HAITHCOCK - Baritone, and either CLARENCE HENDERSON or COOLIDGE WEEMS on Bass. Two months later JOHN CHADWELL replaced JOHN TURNER as 2nd Tenor, and COOLIDGE WEEMS was Bass.

THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE QUARTET 1933, left to right : SIMON C. CLEMENTS, EDWARD R. RODRIGUEZ, KENNETH R. WILLIAMS, and WILSON P. HUBERT

THE SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY QUARTET: Now for THE SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY QUARTET from Southern University (1880) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1935 they consisted of GEORGE HYMON - Tenor, PRUTH MCFARLIN - Tenor, FLOYD MARSHALL - Baritone, and VEDESTER HILL - Bass. GEORGE HYMON was later replaced by E. JAMES HAMILTON. In 1938 they were E. JAMES HAMILTON - Tenor, ALDOLPHE WIGGINS -Tenor, WARREN BUCKSELL - Baritone, and CHARLES KEEL - Bass.

THE SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY QUARTET. THE SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY QUARTET 1935, standing left to right: GEORGE HYMON, PRUTH MCFARLIN, FLOYD MARSHALL, and VEDESTER HILL.

MISCELLANEOUS QUARTETS: From Knoxville College (1875) we have THE KNOXVILLE COLLEGE QUARTET, who in 1925 was made up of LOWELL PETERS (later with THE SOUTHERNAIRES QUARTET), BEADY MANN, NEWELL FRITZPATRICK, and ANDREW PAUL. In 1935 they consisted of ELDRICH HAMMOND - Tenor, MATTIE BELLE HALL - Soprano, MARGARET PERRY - Contralto, and BERNIZE WARD - Bass. In 1939 they consisted of CURTIS KING - 1st Tenor, HARRY FIELD - 2nd Tenor, ELIJAH WELLS - Baritone, and EDWARD COTHREN - Bass.

THE KNOXVILLE COLLEGE QUARTET 1935, Left to right : ELDRICH HAMMOND, MATTIE BELLE HALL, MARGARET PERRY, BERNIZE WARD, and in front, VARNELL FORD.

From Biddle University (now Johnson C. Smith University) we have THE BIDDLE UNIVERSITY QUINTET, also known as THE BIDDLEVILLE QUINTET. There is information about them but you have go to the school library to get that information. All that I've been able to get online are from 1914 the names ASTOR MORGAN, S.L. MITCHELL, HELTON, and MCCRAE, and two photos, one of those unusable.

THE BIDDLEVILLE QUINTET.

Now we have THE OAKWOOD COLLEGE QUARTET, also know as THE OAKWOOD JUBILEE QUARTET. In 1926 they were F.L. PATERSON, CALVIN MOSELY, OTIS TROTTER, and EMILE JAREAN. In 1930 they were STANLEY HUDDLESTON, FRANK BLAND, HENRY HAMMOND, and CHARLES GRAY BOOITANE(?). In 1935 they were O.B. EDWARDS, HENRY HAMMOND, WILLIE LEE, and LOUIS REYNOLDS. In 1955 they were HERBERT SHORT, BERT REID, CORNELIOUS THOMAS, and FREDRICK ALEXANDER. In April 1956 they were ELBERT SHEPPARD, BENJAMIN REAVES, WILLIAM SCALES, and JAMES EDGECOMBE. A newspaper article for the same month of April listed the name EDWARD MATTOX replacing WILLIAM SCALES.

THE OAKWOOD COLLEGE QUARTET 1956, left to right : ELBERT SHEPPARD, BENJAMIN REAVES, WILLIAM SCALES, and JAMES EDGECOMBE.

In the late 1940's another one of the Quartets from Oakwood was THE VELVETONE QUARTET. They consisted of DR. JOHN RODGERS, WALTER WHAL, Elder C. L. BROOKS, and Elder T. MARSHALL KELLY. KELLY would later be in a Gospel Quartet call THE CLEVELAND HARMONAIRES. During the time THE VELVETONE QUARTET was performing, there were two other Quartets with similar names. One was a black secular group called THE VELVETONES (click on the link to read their story by Marv Goldberg). And the other was a white Barbershop quartet called The Velvetones Quartet.

THE VELVETONE QUARTET 1949.

THE UTICA INSTITUTE QUARTETS: The next Quartet that I'll be talking about is very special to me. In 1984 I spoke on the phone with one of the leads of THE UTICA INSTITUTE JUBILEE SINGERS from Utica Institute (1903) in Mississippi. There were several UTICA INSTITUTE SINGERS (also known as THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET). In 1924 they were a mixed Quartet with two men and two women before they went back to being a male Quartet. The Quartet whose lead singer I spoke on the phone was formed in late 1926. They consisted of MARSHALL H. COLE - Lead and 2nd Tenor, BEN SKINNER - Tenor, CLARENCE RADCLIFF - Tenor, GEORGE WHITTINGTON - Baritone, and WILLIAM G. CULVER - Bass. They also had a piano player named Norma Lynch who became Norma Lynch Cole, the wife of MARSHALL COLE. This incarnation of THE UTICA INSTITUTE SINGERS made recordings for Victor Records from 1927 to 1929. They were also in a ten minute Vitaphone Film in 1927. This film is the first motion picture to feature a black vocal group. A print of the film is in The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Unfortunately, they don't have the Vitaphone soundtrack recording disc that goes along with it. One soundtrack disc for that film has been found. Now we need someone with $3,000 to put the film and soundtrack together. They were in another film short that was made in 1929 titled "Radia-Tors." Luckily, this film is on YouTube. In 1935 someone named B. WILSON replaced Tenor BEN SKINNER. In 1936 THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET consisted of MARSHALL COLE, CLARENCE RADCLIFF, WILLIAM CULVER, and LUTHER HARTLEY. One more thing, MARSHALL COLE appeared in the 1983 Woody Allen film "Zelig".

THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET 1926. THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET (UTICA SINGERS). THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET. THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET 1929. (The Quartet kept changing members, but this same photo appeared in newspapers all the way up to 1939). THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET 1929, with Norma Lynch Cole. THE UTICA JUBILEE QUARTET 1930, with Norma Lynch Cole. THE UTICA JUBILEE SINGERS from their Columbia film short "Radia-Tors". MARSHALL COLE as he appeared in the 1983 Woody Allen film "Zelig". Original 1927 Vitaphone 16 inch soundtrack disc for film starring THE UTICA JUBILEE SINGERS.

THE CHANTICLEERS: Now we are going to take a look at THE CHANTICLEERS who were formed in 1931 at Simmons University (1879) in Louisville, Kentucky. THE CHANTICLEERS were made up of WILLIAM HURD - Lead and 2nd Tenor, DANIEL LACKEY - Tenor, RALPH GRAVES - Baritone, and JOHN BUNN - Bass. When THE CHANTICLEERS left Simmons University in 1934 they moved to New York City. Their Bass singer JOHN BUNN in his later years was still living in Bronx, New York. THE CHANTICLEERS performed in some of the top supper clubs in and around the New York area, like The Cerrutti's and The La Vie Parisienne. In 1942 and 1943 they performed at USO Camps across the country including Camp Joyce in Kilmer, New Jersey, and Camp Shank in New York. In 1943 they appeared in six film Soundies.

THE CHANTICLEERS 1943, Left to right (according to Mark Cantor): RALPH GRAVES, WILLIAM HURD, DANIEL LACKEY, and JOHN BUNN. THE CHANTICLEERS with cowboy star Roy Rodgers, December 1942.

MISCELLANEOUS QUARTETS #2: From Lane College (1882) in Jackson, Tenn., came THE FOUR TONES. THE FOUR TONES were LEON BUCK - 1st Tenor, IRA HARDIN - 2nd Tenor, RUDOLPH HUNTER - Baritone and Guitar, and LUCIUS "DUSTY" BROOKS - Bass. In 1939 JOHNNIE PORTER replaced IRA HARDIN. In the late 1930's and early 1940's, THE FOUR TONES appeared in several films including a couple of westerns with singer HERB JEFFRIES. By 1942 and with personnel changes they were no longer a vocal quartet but what I call a vocal band that not only sang but played musical instruments. One of their new members was LOYD "TINY" GRIMES, who had been with THE CATS AND THE FIDDLE. Tony Fournier, who runs this website, has created a three-part article on THE FOUR TONES with plenty of information and photos. So, if you want to learn more about the history of THE FOUR TONES, check it out. Just one more thing, LUCIUS BROOKS was also in one of many INK SPOTS groups that was around the country. In 1940 we have THE VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY QUARTET, who were made up of LELAND PIERCE, WILLIAM DEAN, FORREST PRITCHETT, and DANIEL BODDIE. Later Dean and Boddie would be replaced by LUTRELLE PALMER JR. and BURL YELDELL. LUTRELLE PALMER would later be in the Army and be part of THE CAMP HILL QUARTET that was formed by HARRY DOUGLAS of THE DEEP RIVER BOYS.

The original lobby card photo from the 1939 film Harlem Rides The Range with THE FOUR TONES. THE VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY QUARTET 1940, left to right LELAND PIERCE, WILLIAM DEAN, FORREST PRITCHETT, and DANIEL BODDIE.

Most of the Quartets featured here were formed from 1871 to 1950. There were some that were formed in the 1950's, but the next set of Quartets were formed all the way up into the 1970's. We'll start with THE RUST COLLEGE QUARTET and Quintet. In the 1920's THE RUST COLLEGE QUARTET were all male. By 1947 they were a mixed Quartet of two males and two females. They were CHARLES SMITH, SAM JONES, JONNIE GATES, and TERRY GOUCH. By 1969 they were back to being an all male group and then they were HENRY H. HULL, CHARLES B. HOLMES, ARZELL CARRUTHERS, LARRY CLAYTON, and DWIGHT DOXEY. This Quintet appeared on television with singer Jerry Lee Lewis. Their early 1970's album on Klondike Records is a favorite with vocal groups records collectors.

THE RUST COLLEGE SEXTETTE is THE RUST COLLEGE MALE QUARTET with two females. The Quartet director is also in this photo. THE RUST COLLEGE QUARTET. THE RUST COLLEGE QUINTET 1969, with Jerry Lee Lewis. THE RUST COLLEGE QUINTET 1972.

From Wiley College (1873) in Marshall, Texas, there was THE WILEY COLLEGE QUARTET. From 1933 it was LONNIE JACKSON - 1st Tenor, EDWARD GRONER - 2nd Tenor, LACY ANDERSON - Baritone, and DANIEL RUNNEL - Bass. From 1935 they were VERNON HINES - 1st Tenor, GEORGE LANE - 2nd Tenor, KENNETH HENDERSON - Baritone, and DANIEL RUNNEL - Bass. They also had a violinist by the name of ANDERSON LACEY(?).

THE WILEY COLLEGE QUARTET 1933-34, left to right EDWARD GRONER, LONNIE or LONNY JACKSON, RUFUS ANDERSON (Pianist), LACY ANDERSON, and DANIEL RUNNEL. THE WILEY COLLEGE QUARTET 1935. THE WILEY COLLEGE QUARTET 1938. THE WILEY COLLEGE QUARTET 1933-34, left to right EDWARD GRONER, LONNIE or LONNY JACKSON, RUFUS ANDERSON (Pianist), LACY ANDERSON, and DANIEL RUNNEL.

From Morris Brown College (1881) in Atlanta, Georgia, we had THE MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE QUARTET. From 1935 to 1938 they were FREDDIE B. LETTMAN - 1st Tenor, ABRAHAM B. MILLER - 2nd Tenor, OTIS C. SMITH - Baritone, and WILLIS N. GOODWIN - Bass. Their director was E.W. HATHCOCK and their pianist was ALLEN JOHNSTON. In 1939 and 1940, under the name of THE MORRIS BROWN QUARTET, they recorded several sides for Bluebird Records. Another Quartet from Morris Brown was THE RIGOLETTO QUARTET (QUINTET). They would later change their name to THE SOUTHERN HARMONIZERS.

THE MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE QUARTET 1935, left to right WILLIS GOODWIN, ABRAHAM MILLER, E.W. HATHCOCK (DIRECTOR), FREDDIE LETTMAN, and OTIS SMITH.

From 1934 Shaw University (1865) we had THE SHAW UNIVERSITY QUARTET. They were JOSHUA LEVISTER, DEMENTRIOUS H. KECK, WILLIAM W. HOFFLIER, HARRY GIL-SMYTHE, and HENRY L. PRICE.

THE SHAW UNIVERSITY QUARTET 1934, left to right JOSHUA LEVISTER, DEMENTRIOUS H. KECK, WILLIAM W. HOFFLIER, HARRY GIL-SMYTHE (Director), and HENRY L. PRICE.

THE PRINCESS ANNE ACADEMY QUARTET in 1926 were A. BREWINGTON KIAH - 1st Tenor, A. SINCLAIR SWAN - 2nd Tenor, WILLIAM G. PITTS - Baritone, and CYRUS W. DERRICKSON - Bass. In 1928 they were EMANUEL MANSFIELD - 1st Tenor, SINCLAIR SWAN - 2nd Tenor, JOSEPH JAMES - Baritone, and LYCURGUS LOCKMAN - Bass. In 1930 they moved to Claflin College and became THE CLAFLIN COLLEGE QUARTET and, after leaving Claflin College in 1933, they became THE MANSFIELD SINGERS.

THE PRINCESS ANNE ACADEMY QUARTET 1929, left to right JOSEPH JAMES, SINCLAIR SWAN, school principal, EMANUEL MANSFIELD, and LYCURGUS LOCKMAN. THE MANSFIELD SINGERS 1933, formerly THE CLAFLIN COLLEGE QUARTET, formerly THE PRINCESS ANNE ACADEMY QUARTET.

From Morgan College we had THE MORGAN COLLEGE QUARTET. In 1928 they were SAMUEL TURPIN, A. BREWINGTON KIAH, ANTHONY CHASE, and CRAWFORD TRADER.

THE MORGAN COLLEGE QUARTET 1928, top left to right SAMUEL TURPIN, ANTHONY CHASE, and CRAWFORD TRADER, Bottom A. BREWINGTON KIAH.

From Allen University we had THE ALLEN UNIVERSITY QUARTET. In 1923 they were CHAPPELLE BROGDON, JAMES GILES, THEODORE BELCHER, and AUGUSTUS DOWNS. In 1933 they were ANDREW JENKINS - 1st Tenor, EDMOND JEFFERSON - 2nd Tenor, MALVERSE MACK - 1st Bass, and JOSEPH HATFIELD - 2nd Bass. THE TEXAS COLLEGE QUARTET from Texas College (1894) were in 1924 C.M. STEWART Tenor, P.M. MEDLOCK - Tenor, N.R. BENJAMIN - Baritone, and C.E. BAKER - Bass. THE TALLADEGA COLLEGE QUARTET from Talladega College (1867) in Alabama were in 1938 THOMAS THALLEY - 1st Tenor, I. LOGAN - Tenor, WILLIAM BOCICHELION - 1st Bass, and SIDNEY GREENWARD - 2nd Bass. THE STILLMAN INSTITUTE QUARTET from Stillman Institute (1871) in Alabama were in 1934 G.A.WEAVER, EDDIE L. MITCHELL, MOSES JAMES, and JAMES O' ROURKE. THE PAUL QUINN COLLEGE QUARTET from Paul Quinn College (1872) in Texas were in 1935 JULIUS WHITESIDE, C. L. JOHNSON, CHARLES HOPKINS, and EZEKIEL HOPKINS. THE PAINE COLLEGE QUARTET from Paine College (1882) in Georgia were in 1928 J. W. PERRY - 1st Tenor, JOHN COLLINS - 2nd Tenor, WILLIAM W. WEBB - 1st Bass, and BANAKA B. ROBERTS - 2nd Bass. THE IMMANUEL LUTHERAN COLLEGE QUARTET were a mixed Quartet of men and women. They were in 1940 DOROTHY THOMAS - Soprano, ZENOBIA GRAY - Alto, EDWARD DUNCAN - Tenor, and JOHN SKINNER - Bass. Another mixed Quartet was THE FRIENDSHIP COLLEGE QUARTET from Friendship College (1891) in South Carolina. In 1937 they were LOUISE AUSTIN, CORA HIPPS, HENRY CLAYTON, and LOMAS SHAW, but in 1939 they were a male Quartet who were WILLIAM EVERLY - 1st Tenor, LAWRENCE CAMBEL - 2nd Tenor, LARENCE LOMAS SHAW - Baritone, and HENRY CLAYTON - Bass. From Western University(1865) in Kansas we had THE WESTERN UNIVERSITY QUARTET in 1932 they were JESSIE THOMAS FREEMAN - 1st Tenor, JOSEPH EDMONSON - 2nd Tenor, PAUL KIDD - Baritone and WILLIAM COLSON - Bass. In 1933 JAMES A. GRANBERRY became their Baritone, and EMANUEL THOMPSON became their Bass. In 1940 they were a mixed Quartet who were BOBBIE BOGESS, ROGER POWELL, LAVADA BOGESS, and ROBERT COFFMAN. More from Western University later. THE NATCHEZ COLLEGE QUARTET were from Mississippi and in 1937 they were B.T. BEUCHAMP - Tenor, O.D. PELT - Tenor, C. PATRICK JOHNSON - Baritone, and W. L. PELT - Bass. THE BENEDICT COLLEGE QUARTET were from South Carolina and in 1929 they were CAMPBELL, ADAMSON, WILLIAM, and EMANUEL GAULDEN. THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLEGE QUARTET were in 1947 ROBERT MCKNIGHT - 1st Tenor, EARNEST MCADAMS - 2nd Tenor, JOSEPH MITCHELL - Baritone, and EMILE ROZIER - Bass. THE MILES MEMORIAL COLLEGE QUARTET were in 1915 ANDREW WATSON, EDWARD WINDHAM, ERNEST TAGGART, and ALONZA BOYD. Storer College(1865) in West Virginia their Quartets were always a mixed Quartet. In the 1890's they were MR. W. E. DORSA - Tenor, MISS M. C. MORRIS (later MRS. DORSA) - Soprano, R. R. THOMPSON, and H. B. THOMPSON. THE STORER COLLEGE QUARTET who in 1946 were MARION JOHNSON - Soprano, MURIEL NOBREY - Alto, JOHN PAYNE - Tenor, and JOHN PRAILEAU - Baritone, In 1950 they were JAUNITA BASKERVILLE - Soprano, GLORIA WISON - Alto, ALDRICH W. ADKINS - Tenor, and HOWARD CHAMBER - Bass. From Clark University we had THE CLARK UNIVERSITY QUARTET who in 1933 were EDGAR CLARK - 1st Tenor, AMBROS PHILLIPS - 2nd Tenor, JOHN JACKSON- Baritone, and SIDNEY JOHNSON - Bass. In 1934 HAROLD BAILIFF and INMAN BANKS replaced Jackson and Johnson. THE CONROE COLLEGE QUARTET were from Texas. They were also known as THE INVINCIBLE QUARTET. They were in 1927 F. D. JOHNSON - 1st Tenor, H.A. STEVENS - 2nd Tenor, A. T. THOMAS - Baritone, and J.H. JAMES - Bass. In 1928 D. L. LOVELADY replaced H. A STEVENS as 2nd Tenor and 1929 K.L. SPENCER replaced Lovelady. In 1933 the Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Kansas, had a mixed vocal sextette called THE SILVERTONE SEXTETTE. The members were AARON MOORE - Tenor, CORA CHISM - Soprano, JULIA WILLIAMS - Mezzo-Soprano, ELA HIGHSHAW - Contralto, LEOLA PARKER - Alto, and TYLER RAINEY - Bass.

THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET: The next two schools that I will be talking about seem to have more than just two Quartets at a time in their schools. The two schools are Hampton Institute (1868) in Hampton, Virginia, and Wilberforce University (1856) in Wilberforce, Ohio. The Hampton Institute started training Quartets in the 1880's. In 1889 THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET were ARTHUR BOYKIN, W. H. BAGGS, W. J. CLAYTOR, and J. H. WAINWRIGHT. In 1890 ROBERT R. MOTEN replaced ARTHUR BOYKIN. Around 1896 one member of the Quartet was ROBERT SENGSTACKE ABBOTT (1870 - 1940). ROBERT S. ABBOTT was a concert tenor and became a lawyer in Chicago. He is noted in black history as having established the first all black newspaper in America, The Chicago Defender, in 1905. In 1917 they were W. A. MORGAN - 1st Tenor, G. B. JONES - 2nd Tenor, C. O. HILTON - 1st Bass, and J. R. HARRIS - 2nd Bass. Hampton Institute not only had Quartets that were made up of students but also had what is known as an Alumni Quartet that was made up of former students. The difference between the student Quartets and the Alumni Quartets is that the Alumni Quartets gets paid by the school. In 1933 they were ROBERT H. HALL - 1st Tenor, GEORGE F. HAMILTON - 2nd Tenor, JEREMIAH THOMAS - 1st Bass and Baritone, WILLIAM L. BYRD - 2nd Bass, and GREGORY KIAH. JEREMIAH THOMAS was with the Quartet since 1923. With the inception of GREGORY KIAH, the above personnel were the same all the way to 1941. During that time they also had a Baritone soloist by the name of GEORGE H. FLAX. In 1942 they were EMMETT H. SCOTT - 1st Tenor, ALBERT T. WHITAKER - 2nd Tenor, JEREMIAH THOMAS - Baritone, and WILLIAM L. BYRD - Bass. According to a 1935 newspaper article, another Quartet from Hampton Institute was THE FOUR BLACKJACKS. All that I know about them is that they appeared in a 1935 film short titled "Distant Harmonies".

THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET 1890's. ROBERT SENGSTACKE ABBOTT is second from the left. THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET 1896. THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET 1938. This is the Alumni group. THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET Alumni group 1941, left to right ROBERT H. HALL, GEORGE F. HAMILTON, WILLIAM L. BYRD, and JEREMIAH THOMAS. THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET 1941, left to right Lorenzo White, ROBERT H. HALL, GEORGE F. HAMILTON, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, CHARLES H. FLAX their baritone soloist, JEREMIAH THOMAS, and WILLIAM L. BYRD.

THE DEEP RIVER BOYS: Another Quartet from Hampton Institute that I'll now focus on is the most famous of the Hampton Institute Quartet and they became THE DEEP RIVER BOYS. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS had a long career from the mid-1930"s to 1980 that one could write a separate article about them, but that has already been done (in 1979). We will start in 1936. In February 1936, during their Junior school year, the members of the Quartet were VERNON GARDNER - 1st Tenor, CHARLES HILL - 2nd Tenor, HARRY DOUGLASS - Baritone and Lead, and EDWARD WARE - Bass. They were called THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE JUNIOR QUARTET. By October 1936 their 2nd Tenor CHARLES HILL was replaced by GEORGE LAWSON. This personnel will remain the same until the mid-1940's. After the Quartet left Hampton Institute they were still calling themselves THE HAMPTON INSTITUTE JUNIOR QUARTET. But since they were no longer at that school, they couldn't call themselves that anymore. It was black actor Rex Ingram who gave them the name DEEP RIVER BOYS after one of the songs they sang, "Deep River". CHARLES FORD became their pianist and arranger until 1942. RAY DURANT replaced him. At this point, I should mention that Tony Fournier has at this website several features on THE DEEP RIVER BOYS including a two part feature on the Quartet, 1940's and 1950's years, with plenty of photos and information. Check it out. In 1940 THE DEEP RIVER BOYS made their first recording in a long string of recordings that they made through the years. In 1941 they made four film Soundies. "Shadrack", Booglie Wooglie Piggy", Hark, Hark The Lark", and "Toot That Trumpet". In 1942 and 1943, like other Quartets, they performed at USO Camps around the country. Both HARRY DOUGLASS and their arranger got drafted into the army. The other members of the Quartet found replacements for them and HARRY DOUGLASS returned to the Quartet after his military service. In the early 1950's they were HARRY DOUGLASS, CARTER WILSON, CAMERON WILLIAMS - Pianist, VERNON GARDNER, and EDWARD WARE. By the late 1950's they were HARRY DOUGLASS, RAY DURAN (formally Durant), JIM LUNDY, and AL BISHOP. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS in 1965 were HARRY DOUGLASS, RAY DURAN, RONNIE BRIGHT (of THE VALENTINES), and JAMES R. BAILEY (of THE CADILLACS). In 1976 they were HARRY DOUGLASS, RAY DURAN, BILL JONES, and RICHARD SPARKS. With the death of RAY DURAN on August 2nd 1980 at the age of 70, it was the end of THE DEEP RIVER BOYS. HARRY DOUGLASS continued as a solo artist in the early eighties but this wouldn't be the last time HARRY DOULASS was singing with a Quartet. In 1992 the Late Ronnie Italiano brought back HARRY DOUGLASS to sing on stage with a Quartet at his United In Group Harmony Association organization (U.G.H.A.). The act was presented as HARRY DOUGLASS AND THE NEW DEEP RIVER BOYS. THE NEW DEEP RIVER BOYS were really a group called THINGS TO COME that was made up of AL CROWD - Tenor, DARYL MILLER - Tenor, GENE MINOR - Baritone, and RON SIMMONS - Bass. They were HARRY DOUGLASS' back up group at these U.G.H.A. meetings all the way up to his last performance in February 1999. Lucky for us, several of these shows including his last performance are up on YouTube for all to see. HARRY DOUGLASS was born May 6th 1916 and died on June 5th 1999 leaving a legacy that started at a university in 1936.

THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1938, Left to right VERNON GARDNER, HARRY DOUGLASS, GEORGE LAWSON, and EDWARD WARE. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS, 1938 Left to right EDWARD WARE, VERNON GARDNER, GEORGE LAWSON, and HARRY DOUGLASS. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1941 "Booglie Wooglie Piggy" Soundie. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS Dec. 10th 1948 at The Strand Theater in New York City. They were backed up by The DIZZY GILLESPIE Be Bop Orchestra (as they were billed). Also on the same show were singer MAXINE SULLIVAN and dancers THE BERRY BROTHERS. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS Dec. 10th 1948 at The Strand Theater. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1950. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1950. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1952, Left to right HARRY DOUGLASS, JIMMY LUNDY, VERNON GARDNER, CAMERON WILLIAMS, and EDWARD WARE. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1954, Left to right HARRY DOUGLASS, JIMMY LUNDY, VERNON GARDNER, EDWARD WARE, and RAY DURANT. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1956, Left to right JIMMY LUNDY, AL BISHOP, HARRY DOUGLASS, AL BISHOP's wife Ruth, RAY DURANT, and VERNON GARDNER. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1956, Left to right RAY DURAN, JIMMY LUNDY, HARRY DOUGLASS, and AL BISHOP. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1957, Left to right JIMMY LUNDY, RAY DURAN, AL BISHOP, and HARRY DOUGLASS. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS Late 1950's, Top left to right JIMMY LUNDY, HARRY DOUGLASS, AL BISHOP and, on piano, RAY DURAN. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1962. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS In Canada 1965. Left to right RAY DURAN, RONNIE BRIGHT (Mr. Bassman himself), a Canadian MP, HARRY DOUGLASS, and JAMES R. BAILEY. THE DEEP RIVER BOYS 1951 British sheet music.

THE WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY QUARTETS: Now we are going to look at the Quartets from Wilberforce University. THE WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY QUARTETTE in 1922 was LEONIDAS H. BERRY - Tenor, HOMER QUINCEY SMITH - Tenor, L. O. BYRD - Baritone, and ANGUS REDDEN - Bass. Later, HOMER SMITH would become a member of THE SOUTHERNAIRES QUARTET. In 1942 HOMER SMITH joined The U.S. Coast Guard and formed the first integrated Quartet called THE COAST GUARD QUARTET that would become THE MARINERS. For more information on THE MARINERS, read my article on them that is here on this website.

THE WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY QUARTETTE 1922, Left to right ANGUS REDDEN, HOMER Q. SMITH, L. O. BYRD, and LEONIDAS H. BERRY

In 1929 Wilberforce University hired a graduate from Northwestern University by the name of HOWARD DANIEL. His title at the school was "Professor Of Music". He was in charge of training all the Quartets, choirs, etc. at Wilberforce. HOWARD DANIEL held this position until 1934. THE WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY QUARTET of 1930 and 1931 were JAMES LUCAS - 1st Tenor, BENJAMIN WAILES - 2nd Tenor, ANDREW FERRELL - Baritone, and DALLAS SAUNDER - Bass. By May 1933 the Quartet was CLYDE AUSTIN - 1st Tenor, VERNON SHIELDS - 2nd Tenor, A. J. SMART or SMOOTS - Baritone, and WILLIAM JONES - Bass. In November 1934 the Quartet was GEORGE RAINEY - 1st Tenor, WILLIAM DELANEY - 2nd Tenor, HENRY SHIELDS - Baritone, and EDWARD MITCHELL - Bass. In March 1936 they were GEORGE RAINEY - 1st Tenor, WILLIAM DELANEY - 2nd Tenor, MORRIS BRANDRUM - Baritone, and JAMES REDDEN - Bass. THE WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY QUARTET of 1933 and 1934 is what I consider the second most interesting of the Wilberforce Quartet. They were also trained by HOWARD DANIEL. They were GEORGE H. HALL - Bass, IRA WILIAMS - Baritone, EDWARD G. JACKSON - 2nd Tenor, and BAYARD TAYLOR RUSTIN - 1st Tenor and Lead. BAYARD TAYLOR RUSTIN (Mar.17th 1912 - Aug. 24th 1987) was a controversial figure in black history, who became a civil rights activist and was once with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington. In 2023 there was an online movie about BAYARD RUSTIN titled "RUSTIN" that was produced by The Obamas. That movie was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. I did not see the movie, but I doubt that there were any Quartets singing in it. In 1933 and 1934 GEORGE HALL, IRA WILLIAMS, and EDWARD JACKSON were in their Senior year at Wilberforce, while BAYARD RUSTIN was a Sophomore when he joined the Quartet. In 1934 when GEORGE HALL, IRA WILLIAMS, and EDWARD JACKSON graduated from Wilberforce, they stayed together as a professional singing group calling themselves THE OLEANDERS or THE OLEANDERS QUARTET. They hired for their 1st Tenor and Lead BENJAMIN J. WAILES, who also sang in one of THE WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY QUARTETS. At this point singer BILLY WILLIAMS was never in THE OLEANDERS. BAYARD RUSTIN stayed at Wilberforce until 1936 when the school kicked him out for organizing a strike against the school. With BENJAMIN WAILES as their lead, the group personnel was the same until late 1936 when IRA WILLIAMS and EDWARD JACKSON left THE OLEANDERS to join THE CHARIOTEERS. By January 1937 THE OLEANDERS were BENJAMIN J. WAILES - 1st Tenor, JOHN TAYLOR Jr. - 2nd Tenor, HOWARD A. BROWN - Baritone, and GEORGE H. HALL - Bass. By December HOWARD SCOTT replaced HOWARD BROWN as Baritone. According to research by Marv Goldberg, in 1941 THE OLEANDERS were GEORGE BOYD, CECIL MURRAY, HOWARD SCOTT, and GEORGE HALL and that HOWARD SCOTT and CECIL MURRAY were later in another group called THE RHYTHM MASTERS and THE FOUR PALS. Throughout their career, THE OLEANDERS did make a few recordings. They are supposed to have made a recording with the folk blues singer Leadbelly. In 1936 they were on a Bob Crosby and His Orchestra Transcription as back up singers on a song titled "I'm Coming Virginia". They also did two Transcription recordings in 1939. One was titled "Ol Man Mose" and the other was "Mama Don't Allow it". Unfortunately, THE OLEANDERS never reached the type of fame and success that other Quartets like THE MILLS BROTHERS and THE INK SPOTS did.

THE WILBERFORCE QUARTET 1933-34, Left to right GEORGE H. HALL - Bass, IRA WILLIAMS - Baritone, EDWARD G. JACKSON - 2nd Tenor, and BAYARD TAYLOR RUSTIN - 1st Tenor and lead. THE OLEANDERS 1935, Left to right BENJAMIN WAILES, IRA WILLIAMS, EDWARD G. JACKSON (seated), and GEORGE H. HALL. THE OLEANDERS 1936, Left to right BENJAMIN WAILES, IRA WILLIAMS, GEORGE H. HALL, and EDWARD G. JACKSON.

THE CHARIOTEERS: Now we will look at the Quartet that I feel was the best vocal Quartet that came out of Wilberforce University and that was THE CHARIOTEERS. THE CHARIOTEERS were another one of those Quartets that you could write a whole separate article. As mentioned before, HOWARD DANIEL was "Professor of Music" at Wilberforce from 1929 to 1934. In 1930 HOWARD DANIEL formed his own Quartet with himself as Bass. He named the Quartet THE HARMONY FOUR. BILLY WILLIAMS was not involved with forming this group. By April 1931 THE HARMONY FOUR were PETER LUEBERS aka GEORGE D. LEUBERS - 1st Tenor, who was the oldest member of the group, born in 1907, WILFORD "BILLY" WILLIAMS (Dec. 28, 1910 - Oct. 12, 1972) - 2nd Tenor and Lead, GAYNES THOMPSON - 1st Bass, and HOWARD DANIEL - 2nd Bass. By November 1931 JOHN HAREWOOD replaced GAYNES THOMPSON. With JOHN HAREWOOD, this will be the above line up until late 1936. Around 1933 THE HARMONY FOUR changed their name to THE CHARIOTEERS. It is a better name for a vocal Quartet, besides while doing the research for this article I discovered that that there were several Quartets calling themselves THE HARMONY FOUR including two black male Quartets, a white male Quartet, and a female Quartet. In 1935 THE CHARIOTEERS did their first movie, a short titled "On Your Radio Dial". I hope this film exists, for it has the original members when they were THE HARMONY FOUR. In late 1936 HOWARD DANIEL decided that the Quartet should start singing popular songs beside singing spirituals. PETER LEUBERS and JOHN HAREWOOD did not want to sing popular songs, so they quit the group. HOWARD DANIEL set up a meeting with the Quartet that HOWARD DANIEL trained at Wilberforce, THE OLEANDERS. He asked Baritone IRA WILLIAMS and Tenor EDWARD JACKSON to join THE CHARIOTEERS and they accepted. From 1936 to January 1950 THE CHARIOTEERS were WILFORD "BILLY" WILLIAMS, IRA WILLIAMS, EDWARD G. JACKSON, and HOWARD DANIEL, and their piano player JAMES SHERMAN. In 1937 THE CHARIOTEERS made their second film short titled "Fun Begins At Home". In 1938 they did two more film shorts. One was titled "No Sale" and the other was titled "Side Show Fakir". In 1938 THE CHARIOTEERS got a big break when they were selected to star in comedians Olsen and Johnson big Broadway smash "Hellzapoppin". The show ran from September 1938 to December 1941. They were not in all of the 1404 performances of that show. Starting in July 1940, they were out for six weeks in Hollywood while they filmed the feature length movie "Road Show". Their replacement for the stage show was THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS. In 1941 THE CHARIOTEERS were in four Soundies "Swing For Sale", "Ride Red Ride", "Oh Susannah", and "Dark Town Strutter's Ball". Another big break for them happened in 1942 when they got a spot on a weekly radio program. It was The Kraft Music Hall with crooner Bing Crosby. They were on the program from 1942 to 1946. Tony Fournier, who runs this website, has put out a CD with some of these radio programs. YouTube also has many of these Kraft Music Hall programs online. Another crooner that THE CHARIOTEERS worked with is Frank Sinatra. They made a couple of recordings with him. One in 1945 and another in 1947. 1950 was a crucial year for THE CHARIOTEERS. First, Lead BILLY WILLIAMS left THE CHARIOTEERS to form THE BILLY WILLIAMS QUARTET. Second, on July 30th their 2nd Tenor EDWARD G. JACKSON died. THE CHARIOTEERS replaced BILLY WILLIAMS with HERBERT DICKERSON, who later formed THE HERB DICKERSON QUARTET. THE CHARIOTEERS did not disband in 1950. They kept performing and recording until 1957.

THE HARMONY FOUR/ CHARIOTEERS 1931-36, Left to right WILFORD "BILLY" WILLIAMS, PETER LEUBERS (aka GEORGE D. LEUBERS), HOWARD DANIEL, and JOHN HAREWOOD. THE CHARIOTEERS 1938, Left to right BILLY WILLIAMS, EDWARD JACKSON, IRA WILLIAMS, HOWARD DANIEL, and, on piano, JAMES SHERMAN. "Side Show Fakir" 1938 lobby card poster. Left to right HOWARD DANIEL, IRA WILLIAMS, EDWARD JACKSON, BILLY WILLIAMS, and, on piano, JAMES SHERMAN. THE CHARIOTEERS with Bing Crosby at a military camp or a bond drive. Left to right HOWARD DANIEL, IRA WILLIAMS, Bing Crosby, BILLY WILLIAMS, and EDWARD JACKSON. THE CHARIOTEERS 1946, left to right BILLY WILLIAMS, IRA WILLIAMS, HOWARD DANIEL, EDWARD JACKSON, and JAMES SHERMAN on piano. THE CHARIOTEERS with Frank Sinatra 1947, left to right HOWARD DANIEL, EDWARD JACKSON, Frank Sinatra, BILLY WILLIAMS, IRA WILLIAMS, and JAMES SHERMAN. THE CHARIOTEERS with Frank Sinatra 1947, left to right Frank Sinatra, BILLY WILLIAMS, IRA WILLIAMS, HOWARD DAIEL, and, on piano, JAMES SHERMAN. THE CHARIOTEERS 1947 sheet music. THE CHARIOTEERS left to right BILLY WILLIAMS, IRA WILLIAMS, JAMES SHERMAN, HOWARD DANIEL, and EDWARD JACKSON. THE CHARIOTEERS left to right EDWARD JACKSON, IRA WILLIAMS, BILLY WILLIAMS, HOWARD DANIEL, and JAMES SHERMAN. THE CHARIOTEERS left to right HOWARD DANIEL, IRA WILLIAMS, BILLY WILLIAMS, EDWARD JACKSON, and JAMES SHERMAN. THE CHARIOTEERS November 24th 1949, top left to right HOWARD DANIEL, IRA WILLIAMS, EDWARD JACKSON, and out front BILLY WILLIAMS - NBC-TV Live Thanksgiving Special. THE CHARIOTEERS November 24th 1949, left to right EDWARD JACKSON, BILLY WILLIAMS, IRA WILLIAMS, and HOWARD DANIEL - NBS-TV Live Thanksgiving Special.

OTHER MALE QUARTETS: Before we discuss the last male Quartet from a university and college, here is a list of names of other Quartets from universities and colleges. I'm sure there are more. THE STRAIGHT UNIVERSITY QUARTET THE NEW ORLEANS UNIVERSITY MALE QUARTETTE THE LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE QUARTET THE FLORIDA NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE QUARTET THE LELAND COLLEGE QUARTET THE MEHARRY MEDICAL COLLEGE QUARTET THE ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY MALE QUARTET THE KENTUCKY STATE INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE QUARTET THE JACKSON COLLEGE QUARTET THE EDWARD WATER COLLEGE QUARTET THE WILSON TEACHER COLLEGE QUARTET THE SELMA UNIVERSITY QUARTET THE CENTRAL CITY COLLEGE QUARTET THE GEORGE R. SMITH COLLEGE QUARTET THE PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE QUARTET THE CAMP NORMAL INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE QUARTET THE BISHOP COLLEGE QUARTET THE TOUGALIO COLLEGE QUARTET THE PRENTISS COLLEGE QUARTET THE BETHUNE-COOKMAN COLLEGE QUARTET

THE CAMP NORMAL INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE QUARTET 1920. THE BISHOP COLLEGE QUARTET 1938. THE STORER COLLEGE QUARTET 1890's, according to what was written on the back of this photo, they were R.R. THOMPSON, MR. W.E. DORSA, MISS M.C. MORRIS, and H.B. THOMPSON. THE PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE QUARTET. THE PHILANDER SMITH JUNIOR COLLEGE QUARTET with their director. THE PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE SEXTETTE, that's THE PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE QUARTET with two females. THE CLARK UNIVERSITY QUARTET. THE PRINCESS ANNE ACADEMY GIRL'S QUARTET 1930, left to right ELIZABETH LONG, ELEANOR RASIN, ELIZABETH THORNTON, and GRACE COLEBOURNE. THE MORGAN COLLEGE GIRL'S QUINTETTE. THE PRINCESS ANNE ACADEMY GIRL'S QUARTET.

THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS: If someone were to ask me who is my all time favorite vocal group, not my favorite Rhythm n' Blues vocal group or my favorite Rock n' Roll vocal group, it would be THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS. I think they were the best. Now I am not the authority on THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS, that would be Charlie Horner, their official biographer. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS were formed in 1934 at Langston University in Oklahoma (where they were Music Majors). They were originally ELMAURICE MILLER - 1st Tenor, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD - 2nd Tenor, ESSIE J. ADKINS or JOSEPH ADKINS - Baritone, and OTHO LEE GAINES - Bass. In 1936, after two years of vocal training at Langston, the Quartet moved to Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. The only changes to the Quartet was with the Baritone, who was now HARRY LEWIS and they were now called THE DILLARD UNIVERSITY QUARTET. From May 1937 to December 1937 THE DILLARD UNIVERSITY QUARTET performed in South America for the school. At this point, let's discuss the Quartet name. According to news reports from 1939 and 1940 they were called THE NEW ORLEANS QUARTET. I don't know exactly when THE NEW ORLEANS QUARTET became THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS. But by April 1941 they were officially THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS, even when in 1940 there was an orchestra by the name of THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS. In 1938 and 1939 ELMAURICE MILLER, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, HARRY LEWIS, and LEE GAINES ventured into several Broadway productions, starting first with "Sing Out The News" from September 24th 1938 to January 7th 1939. Another Broadway production in which they performed in 1939 and 1940 was "The Hot Mikado", produced by Mike Todd and staring BILL "BOJANGLES" ROBINSON. This show started on March 23rd 1939 and was staged in two different venues, including The New York World Fair. As mentioned before THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS replaced THE CHARIOTEERS for six weeks starting in July 1940 in the Broadway smash "Hellzapoppin". On DECEMBER 16th 1940 THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS recorded four songs for Decca Records. This was the start of their recording career during which its been said they recorded over 500 songs. Throughout their career THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS also recorded with other artists including MILDRED BAILEY, ELLA FITZGERALD, and FRED ASTAIRE (on record, not in any of his films). At this time, I would like mention that Tony Fournier on this website has four features on THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS with more photos and information. By April 1941 CLINTON HOLLAND was their new 1st Tenor replacing ELMAURICE MILLER. Also in 1941 RENE DEKNIGHT became their Pianist and Arranger. In 1941 CLINTON HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, HARRY LEWIS, and LEE GAINES appeared in four Soundies musical jukebox films. They were "I Dreamt I Dwelt In Harlem", "Take The 'A' Train", "Rigoletto Blues", and "Jack, You're Playing The Game". 1943 was quite a year for THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS. HOLLAND, CRAWFORD, LEWIS, GAINES, and DEKNIGHT (on piano), were in two film shorts for Columbia Pictures, "My Wife's An Angel" and "Community Sing No. 2". Also in 1943 the Quartet toured with tap dancer BILL ROBINSON in a revue titled "Born Happy". In April 1943 Baritone member HARRY LEWIS quit the Quartet and, in the same month, 2nd Tenor TRAVERSE CRAWFORD got a letter from the draft board. Luckily for Traverse and the Quartet the Army didn't take him. The following month THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS found a new Baritone by the name of KELSEY PHARR. Kelsey was working in "Porgy and Bess" when he got the call to join The Deltas. One newspaper confirmed that he did join THE DEEP RIVER BOYS. In July 1943 THE DELTA RYHTHM BOYS signed a seven years contract with Universal Pictures. The contract had an option that Universal could fire them after one year. What Universal did was mostly filmed musical numbers with them so that they can be inserted in a film that may need a musical number. Universal started filming them right after they signed the contract. The first Universal film The Deltas were in was "So's Your Uncle", followed by "Hi Ya Sailor", and then "Crazy House", all feature length films from 1943. Their Universal shorts in 1943 were "Sweet Jam" and "Choo Choo Swing". THE DELTAS RHYTHM BOYS' Universal feature length films in 1944 were "Weekend Pass", "Hi Good Lookin", "Follow The Boys", "The Reckless Age", and "Night Club Girl". Only one short with them was released in 1944 and that was "Swingtime Holiday". For the film "Follow The Boys", The Deltas recorded two songs in November 1943. One was "Dry Bones", which wasn't in the film, and the other was "The House I lived In". By August 1944 THE DELTA RYHTHM BOYS were no longer with Universal Pictures. They were let go for refusing to do films with stereotype roles. Still, Universal continued to release films with them. One of those films was "Easy To Look At", released in 1945. The others were the film shorts "On The Mellow Side" and "Swing High Swing Sweet", both released in 1945. Two more shorts were released by Universal, "Banquet Of Melody" released in 1946 and "Symphony In Swing" released in 1949. In late 1944 CARL JONES of THE DREAMERS QUARTET, replaced 1st Tenor CLINTON HOLLAND. Two things happened to the Quartet in 1945. First, they made three more Soundies and they were "Dry Bones", "Snoqualomie Jo Jo", and "Just a-Sittin and A-Rockin". Soundies released another DELTA RHYTHM BOYS number in late 1946 titled "Give Me Some Skin", that was filmed earlier when HARRY LEWIS was still in the Quartet. Now according to Soundie expert Mark Cantor, "Give Me Some Skin" was not a Soundie production. It came from somewhere else. Cantor thinks it came from a motion picture studio. If it did, it would have to come from Columbia Pictures. The second thing that happened to the Quartet in 1944 was in October when they landed a spot on the NBC radio program "Amos And Andy". They were in that program all the way up to 1947, when they quit the program because their bread and butter was performing on the road and they couldn't do that if they were on a weekly radio show. The radio show producers suggested to THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS that they get another spot on another radio show which they did. The radio show was "The Joan Davis Show" on CBS radio. Unfortunately, the show flopped and The Deltas had left "Amos And Andy" for good. In late 1951 KELSEY PHARR left the Quartet and was replaced by CLIFFORD HOLLAND of THE DREAMERS QUARTET. With CLIFFORD HOLLAND, The Deltas did seven Snader's Telescriptions in 1951. Snader's Telescriptions were Soundies for television. The Snader's films were produced by Lou Snader. The seven DELTA RHYTHM BOYS Snaders were "Dry Bones", "Undecided", "I Lied", "Fan Tan Fannie", "Gypsy In My Soul", "Take The 'A' Train", and "Never Underestimate The Power Of A Women". Due to several lawsuits against Snader head Lou Snader in 1952 the company folded and the catalog of their films were sold to another Telescriptions company, Studio Films. On November 9th 1952 THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS were on Ed Sullivan's "Toast Of The Town" TV show. They sang "Dry Bones". KELSEY PHARR returned to The Deltas in 1955. CLIFFORD HOLLAND became a member of another great Quartet, THE FOUR KNIGHTS. In 1956 THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS moved to Europe. In 1960 the group did two Scopitone films. Scopitones were very much like Soundies except they were filmed in color and shown mostly in Europe. The two Scopitones were "So High, So Wide, So Low" and "Come Softly To Me". On April 20th 1961 KELSEY PHARR died. CARL JONES left the group in 1961. So the quartet in 1961 was LEE GAINES, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, HERB COLEMAN, HUGH BRYANT, AND RENE DEKNIGHT. On July 26th, 1975 TRAVERSE CRAWFORD passed away at the age of 59. The end of THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS came on July 15th 1987 when OTHO LEE GAINES passed away. As for the rest of the Quartet, HERB COLEMAN was shot to death in 1974. RENE DEKNIGHT later did some arranging for THE MANHATTEN TRANSFER and died January 24th 2004. HUGH BRYANT, a couple of days later, died from a heart attack at LEE GAINES funeral which was videotaped and shown on the news. CARL JONES who survived the horrible Tulsa Massacre in 1921, died on September 21st 2010.

THE DILLARD UNIVERSITY QUARTET in South America 1937, Left to right ELMAURICE MILLER, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, Spanish host, HARRY LEWIS, and LEE OTHO GAINES. (Above photo is courtesy of Charlie Horner.) THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1941, Left to right CLINTON HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, RENE DEKNIGHT, HARRY LEWIS, AND LEE GAINES. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS "Rigoletto Blues" Soundie 1941, Left to right CLINTON HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, HARRY LEWIS, and LEE GAINES. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS singing "Rigoletto Blues" in their 3rd Universal Film release "Crazy House" 1943, Left to right CLINTON HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, KELSEY PHARR, LEE GAINES, and, on piano, RENE DEKNIGHT. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS singing "Dry Bones" in their 1943 Columbia Film short "My Wife's An Angel", left to right CLINTON HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, HARRY LEWIS, and LEE GAINES. From The Daily News (West Coast) May 29, 1943, drawing for the BILL ROBINSON show "Born Happy" depicting THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS, BILL ROBINSON, and THE WHITEY'S JITTERBUG DANCERS. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1943, from their first Universal Film release "So's Your Uncle", Left to right CLINTON HOLLAND, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, KELSEY PHARR, LEE GAINES, and, on piano, RENE DEKNIGHT. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1943, from their 2nd Universal Film release "Hi Ya Sailor", Left to right RENE DEKNIGHT, LEE GAINES, KELSEY PHARR, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, and CLINTON HOLLAND. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS Left to right TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, RENE DEKNIGHT, CARL JONES, LEE GAINES, and KELSEY PHARR. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1947, when they at the CBS radio station, left to right TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, CARL JONES, KELSEY PHARR, and LEE GAINES. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS in Hawaii 1951, left to right CARL JONES, RENE DEKNIGHT, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, LEE GAINES, and KELSEY PHARR. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS Lobby Card for the 1944 film "Weekend Pass", left to right RENE DEKNIGHT (at piano), CLINTON HOLLAND, LEE GAINES, TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, and KELSEY PHARR. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS from "Take The "A" Train" Snader Telescription 1951, left to right TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, CARL JONES, LEE GAINES, and CLIFFORD HOLLAND. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS on The Ed Sullivan Show 1952 singing "Dry Bones" left to right TRAVESE CRAWFORD, CARL JONES, CLIFFORD HOLLAND, and LEE GAINES. The original DELTA RHYTHM BOYS lobby card poster for the 1955 film "Rock and Roll Revue". THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1956, left to right top row RENE DEKNIGHT, CARL JONES, and LEE GAINES, bottom row LELSEY PHARR and TRAVERSE CRAWFORD. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1956, left to right top row LEE GAINES and RENE DEKNIGHT, bottom row CARL JONES, KELSEY PHARR, and TRAVERSE CRAWFORD. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1958, left to right top row RENE DEKNIGHT, singer Frankie Laine, and LEE GAINES, bottom row TRAVERSE CRAWFORD, KELSEY PHARR, and CARL JONES. THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS, 1960 Scopitone, singing "Come Softly To Me".

MISCELLANEOUS QUARTETS #3: Now that we looked at male Quartets and some mixed Quartets, how about female black universities and colleges Quartets? Were there any? And the answer is yes. Let's look at some of them. There was THE MORRISTOWN COLLEGE QUARTET. Friendship College had a male Quartet and a mixed Quartet, but they also had an all female Quartet. Paine College was another college that had not only a male Quartet, but also a female Quartet. Morgan College also had a male and a female Quartet, as did The Princess Anne Academy. The already mentioned Western University not only had a male Quartet and a mixed Quartet, but also a female Quartet in 1942 that consisted of MARGUERITE MITCHEM, SADIE BELL JORDON, ELSENIA NEELY, and RETHA LYNCH. Hampton Institute also had a female Quartet in 1943. They were THE WOMEN QUARTET OF HAMPTON INSTITUTE which consisted of CLARA ARMSTEAD - 1st Soprano, GEORGIA ATKINS - 2nd Soprano, ORA NELSON - 1st Alto, and ELVIN G. HOLSON. THE SHORTER ALUMNI QUARTET in 1930 was LOUSIE BENNETT, MRS. R.M. WYATT, MRS. MATHER DANIEL JR., and MRS. W.F. BARRON. In 1935 THE ARKANSAS BAPTIST COLLEGE QUARTET consisted of EVELYN BAXTER, CLAUDIE JOHNSON, BERNICE PEOPLE, and JAUNITA PRESTON.

THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTETS: The female quartet that got the most newspaper coverage and the one in this group that made a recording was THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET. Bennett College was formed in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1873. It was originally co-ed, but in 1926 it became an all women school. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET of 1929 was JESSIE LEE JOHNSON - 1st Soprano, NANNIE WRIGHT - 2nd Soprano, CHATTIE PRICE - 1st Alto, and ELFREDA SANDIFER - 2nd Alto. In January 1933 THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET made their only released recording. It was "Lord, I Want To Be A Christian" backed with "Tramping" on Victor Record 23390. The members on that recording are JESSIE DICKSON - 1st Soprano, NANNIE WRIGHT - 2nd Soprano, MAIDIE RUTH GAMBLE - 1st Alto, and GRACE COULBOURNE - 2nd Alto. In 1935 the Quartet was EVELYN FOSTER - 1st soprano, MAIDIE RUTH GAMBLE - 2nd Soprano, JOHNSIE CRAWFORD - 1st Alto, and MARY ALICE THRIFT - 2nd Alto. In 1936 FRANCIS RANDALL replaced MAIDIE GAMBLE as 2nd Soprano. THE BENNETT COLLEGE ALUMNI QUARTET in 1939 were JESSIE LEE DICKSON, NANNIE WRIGHT BOWLING, MAIDIE RUTH GAMBLE NORMAN, and ELFREDA SANDIFER. By 1945 there was a new incarnation of THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET and they were EDITH TAYLOR, ORIAL BANKS, ALETHIA WALKER, JOYCE PICOT, and BETTY ANN ARTIS. By April 1947 they were HELEN DOZIER, ALETHIA WALKER, JOYCE PICOT, and WILLIE RUTH COLES. By late 1947 they were HELEN DOZIER, MIRIAM C. GIDNEY, ELSIE M. GRIFFIN, and VERONA PULLEY. In late 1948 and early 1949 they were VERONA PULLEY, LILLIAN CLARKE, ELSIE GRIFFIN, and ERMA WEATHERS.

THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUINTETTE 1928. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET 1930's. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET 1934. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET 1935, left to right MAIDIE RUTH GAMBLE, EVELYN FOSTER, JOHNSIE CRAWFORD, and MARY ALICE THRIFT. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET April 16th 1947, left to right HELEN DOZIER, ALETHIA WALKER, JOYCE PICOT, and WILLIE RUTH COLES. On piano is their director, Carrie Walls Kellogg. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET April 16th 1947, from ascending order HELEN DOZIER, WILLIE RUTH COLES, JOYCE PICOT, and ALETHIA WALKER. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET 1948 - 1949. The January 17th 1933 article from The News And Record about THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET signing with Victor Records. Photo of THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET January 1933 recording that sold at auction in 2021 for $482. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET 1930's. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET 1930's. THE BENNETT COLLEGE QUARTET.

REPRESENTATIVE RECORD LABEL IMAGES:

TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE SINGERS 1916

BIDDLEVILLE QUINTETTE 1926

BIDDLEVILLE QUINTETTE 1926

BIDDLEVILLE QUINTETTE 1927

UTICA INSTITUTE JUBILEE SINGERS 1927

UTICA INSTITUTE JUBILEE SINGERS 1928

RUST COLLEGE QUARTET 1928

CHARIOTEERS 1935

CHARIOTEERS 1935

CHARIOTEERS 1935

MORRIS BROWN QUARTET 1939

MORRIS BROWN QUARTET 1939

MORRIS BROWN QUARTET 1939

MORRIS BROWN QUARTET 1939

DELTA RHYTHM BOYS 1941

HAMPTON INSTITUTE QUARTET 1941

THE CHARIOTEERS 1943

DEEP RIVER BOYS 1945

REPRESENTATIVE AUDIO SELECTIONS: LISTEN (Windows Media Player): 1. "Steal Away" - Tuskegee Institute Singers - Victor 17890-B - 1916. 2. "Fight On Your Time Ain't Long" - Biddleville Quintette - Paramount 12396-B - 1926. 3. "Watermelon" - Utica Institute Jubilee Singers - Victor 21600-B - 1928. 4. "Oh How He Lied" - Rust College Quartet - Columbia 14307-D - 1928. 5. "Along Tobacco Road" - Charioteers - Decca 420 A - 1935. 6. "Climbing Up The Mountain" - Morris Brown Quartet - Bluebird B-8260-A - 1939. 7. "Dry Bones" - Delta Rhythm Boys - Decca 8522 A - 1941. 8. "'Tis Me" - Hampton Institute Quartet - Victor 27471-B - 1941. 9. "Me And My Shadow" - Bing Crosby And The Charioteers - Kraft Music Hall - 1943. 10. "Walkin' In The Light" - Deep River Boys - V DISC No. 370B - 1945. 11. "Get On Board Little Chillun" - Deep River Boys - V DISC No. 370B - 1945. ALL ELEVEN SONGS played in sequence.

CONCLUSION: As you can see, there were a lot of vocal Quartets back in the past. When I was doing the research for this article, I was surprised to see that in the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's, there were hundreds of Quartets from not only colleges and universities, but also from high schools, churches, and even from street corners. Are black colleges and universities still training vocal Quartets? The answer to that is mostly no. In the recent past Utica Institute has trained a male Quartet and a female Quartet. Most universities and colleges train choirs rather than Quartets. I have noticed that some white faith based colleges and universities still train vocal quartets, but the golden days of the vocal Quartets of the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's is a thing of the past and it will never happen again. I thank TONY FOURNIER very much for not only putting my articles on his website, but doing a great job putting it all together.