The Caravans
| The Caravans | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Robert Anderson and His Gospel Caravan (1947–1951) Robert Anderson and The Caravanas (1951–1952) |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres | Gospel |
| Years active | 1947–1976, 2006-2010 |
| Labels | Miracle, Premium, States, United, Sharp, Specialty, Savoy, Gospel, Vee Jay, HOB, Trip, Exodus, Fairway, Buddah, Caritas, Jewel, Birthright, Malaco |
| Past members | Members |
The Caravans were a gospel music group that was started in 1947 by Robert Anderson. It reached its peak popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, launching the careers of a number of artists, including: Delores Washington, Albertina Walker, Bessie Griffin, Cassietta George, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, Shirley Caesar, Josephine Howard, Rev. James Cleveland, and more. The group underwent numerous personnel changes between 1951 and 1961. 1962 to 1966 provided the Caravans with its most stable group member lineup, consisting of Washington, Walker, Caesar, George, James Herndon and Josephine Howard. The group also made frequent TV appearances during this time on shows such as TV's Gospel Time and Jubilee Showcase.
The Caravans were founded in 1947 under the name Robert Anderson and his Gospel Caravan by Robert Anderson in Chicago, Illinois to serve as Anderson's backing vocalists. The group consisted of Ora Lee Hopkins, Elyse Yancey, Irma Gwynn, Eward Robinson, the pianist, and Louise Overall Weaver as their organist. Their recordings between 1949 and 1951 were made under the names of Robert Anderson and Choir, Anderson Singers with Robert Anderson, Anderson Singers, and Robert Anderson and his Gospel Caravan.
In 1952, Gwynn left the group, a slight change of the group's name to Robert Anderson and The Caravans was made, and Nellie Grace Daniels and Albertina Walker joined the group. The group featuring Walker and Daniels under their new name made their first and only recording on April 18, 1952. During this recording session, a sequence of events happened, resulting in Robert Anderson parting ways with his background singers. Walker, Hopkins, Yancey, and Daniels and Lelia M.Davidson of New Jersey came into the group recorded the remainder of their tracks, and adopted the group name of The Caravans simply by dropping Robert Anderson's name from the group name. Walker was the featured singer on the records that the first version of the newly emancipated Caravans made, which had the measured style typical of artists influenced by Roberta Martin.
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