Southernaires

The Southernaires
Ray Yeates (tenor, far left), Lowell Peters (second tenor), Jay Stone Toney (baritone), William W. Edmonson (bass, center), and Spencer Odom (accompanist/arranger, far right).
Background information
Origin	United States
Years active	1930 (1930)–1950s

The Southernaires, organized ca 1930, were an American popular vocal group in radio broadcasting of the 1930s and 1940s. They were known for their renditions of spirituals and work songs. In 1942, they won a widely publicized case of hotel discrimination.

Their best known recording, "Nobody Knows De Trouble I've Seen", was released by Decca (2859-B) in 1939. Pianist-arranger Spencer Odom replaced their previous accompanist, Clarence M. Jones, the same year.

In 1948-49, they hosted a 30-minute show, The Southernaires Quartet, Sundays at 7:30pm ET on the American Broadcasting Company television network.

In 1950, the Southernaires provided the vocals for the Frank Buck record album Tiger.