Recently made available, along with another transcription compilation, this package, which claims to be "Made In Germany," contains 10 tracks by the Jubalaires, 2 by the Four Tones, and 14 by the Charioteers, all taken from transcription discs, those "mysterious" 16-inch platters that were produced for broadcast use only. The last 4 tracks were from the Armed Forces Radio Service "Your Personal Album" series, dating them to the World War II era.
The Jubalaires were George MacFadden, Theodore Brooks, John Jennings and Caleb Ginyard -They had releases on Decca in 1944/1950, on King/Queen (as The Jubilaires) in 1947/1950, on Capitol 1949 and 1951, and on Crown (as by The Original Jubalaires) in the early 1950's.
The Four Tones (Lucius "Dusty" Brooks, Rudolph Hunter, Leon Buck and Ira Hardin) appeared in early black western films Harlem Rides The Range (1939), Harlem On The Prairie (1937), The Bronze Buckaroo (1939), and Two-Gun Man From Harlem (1938). In 1942 the group was known as "Dusty Brooks and the Four Tones" (a 5-man group) - Johnnie Porter, lead; Leon Buck, tenor; Rudolph Hunter, baritone; Ira Hardin, baritone & guitarist; and Lucius "Dusty" Brooks, bass. The group originally recorded Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat, which was composed by Leon Ren�, Otis Ren�, and Emerson Scott for the Ren� brothers' Make Believe Ballroom label in October 1941. The label was named after Al Jarvis' famous west coast radio show, where The Four Tones supposedly first sang it. The Four Tones re-recorded the song for Bluebird, which released it in January 1942. The Eddie Beal Trio accompanied them on both versions. In 1945 the Four Tones had two releases on the Preview label, five on Memo and three on Lamarrs Star. In 1949 group members were: Virgil Johnson, piano; Dusty Brooks, bass; Rudy Hunter, drums; Art Maryland, guitar; Stanley Cassey, trumpet and sax.
The Charioteers were formed in 1930 at Wilberforce College in Ohio. Members were tenor lead Wilfred "Billy" Williams, second tenor Edward Jackson, baritone Ira Williams, and vocal arranger and bass Howard Daniel. After winning an all-Ohio quartet contest in 1934 they obtained a two-record contract with Decca and a short radio show on WLW in Cincinnati. The original group included Williams, Daniels, Peter Leubers, and John Harewood, but in 1936 when the group moved to New York Leubers and Harewood were replaced with Jackson and Ira Williams respectively. In 1937 they signed with Vocalion Records, launching their recording career. Most of their 1930s recordings were in the vein of jubilees, spirituals, and Negro folk tunes like Wade In The Water and Ezekiel Saw De Wheel. When they moved to Columbia in 1940, the label recorded the Charioteers as a pop group, similar to the Ink Spots, not an R&B ensemble, and national success was immediate. They appeared regularly on network radio, most notably Bing Crosby's show, and in movies, while also touring in the musical revue Hellzapoppin'. The Charioteers got their biggest hit with the 1947 sensation, a humorous novelty called Open The Door, Richard (number 6 pop), in which they competed on the charts with six other versions. The group received more national exposure with the double-sided hit, What Did He Say? (number 21 pop) backed with Ooh! Look-A There, Ain't She Pretty (number 20 pop) in 1948, and A Kiss And A Rose (number 8 R&B, number 19 pop). In 1950 Williams left the Charioteers to form his own quartet and prospered immensely during the '50s. The Charioteers, on the other hand, persevered with new lead Herbert Dickerson, but gradually disappeared from the public eye before disbanding in 1957.
Regrettably, there are NO liner notes, but the vintage of these tracks is from the 1940s. Assistance in pinpointing the recording dates of these tracks would be appreciated. Thanks Old Time Records for identifying the source discs.
Track listing:
1. Lilliette - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
2. Piccolo Polka - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
3. Tara Talara Tala - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
4. Keep On Doing What You're Doing - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
5. All Alone And Feeling Mighty Blue - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
6. Again - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
7. Somebody Stole My Rose Colored Glasses - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
8. It's Breaking My Heart To Say Goodbye - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
9. It Ain't What You Say That Does You Good - Jubalaires (Standard #U-264) circa 1946
10. Git On Board, Little Children - Jubalaires (Standard #U-287) circa 1947
11. Swingin' In Rhythm - Four Tones (Keystone #S171) circa 1940
12. My Island Love - Four Tones (Keystone #S171) circa 1940
13. Bob White - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
14. Mairzy Doats - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
15. Brother Bill - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
16. I Dug A Ditch - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
17. Don't Cry, Cry Baby - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
18. Moonlight Bay - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
19. Red River Valley - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
20. All I Need Is You - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
21. Runnin' Wild - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
22. By The Light Of The Silvery Moon - Charioteers (Standard #U-217) circa 1945
23. Bye And Bye - Charioteers (AFRS/War Dept #H3-290) circa 1944
24. Pistol Packin' Mama - Charioteers (AFRS/War Dept #H3-290) circa 1944
25. Jesus Is A Rock In A Weary Land - Charioteers (AFRS/War Dept #H3-290) circa 1944
26. G.I. Jive - Charioteers (AFRS/War Dept #H3-290) circa 1944
