The Deep River Boys
| The Deep River Boys | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hampton, Virginia, United States |
| Genres | Christian |
| Past members | Harry Douglas Vernon Gardner George Lawson Jimmy Lundy Edward Ware Cameron Williams Rhett Butler Ray Durant Carter Wilson Charlie Ford Ronnie Bright Eddie Whaley Jnr. |
The Deep River Boys were an American gospel music group active from the mid-1930s and into the 1980s. The group performed spirituals, gospel, and R&B.
The original group consisted of Harry Douglas (baritone), Vernon Gardner (first tenor), George Lawson (second tenor) and Edward Ware (bass). George Lawson was replaced by William James (Jimmy) Lundy in 1950. Other personnel changes took place during the group's long history.
From 1950 Jimmy Lundy (first tenor), Vernon Gardner (second tenor).
The group began at Hampton Institute, now known as Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. Initial success came about through their winning a talent competition on the radio which, in turn, led to further radio and stage appearances. During World War II, they toured extensively for the USO entertaining US troops abroad. In 1948,their song Recess in Heaven became their first hit. They also toured with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.
In 1950, they left for Canada where they had a long engagement in Montreal. Upon return, they appeared on TV on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Milton Berle Show. They then left for another long engagement in Philadelphia. Early that year, they recorded "Solid as a Rock" with the Count Basie Orchestra. In July, they also recorded a version of "Tuxedo Junction" with the Erskine Hawkins, the composer of the tune. Then, they left for England where they embarked upon a 10-week engagement at the London Palladium. Whilst there they received a citation naming them as the "Most popular entertainers of American troops in England". Whilst there, they may have performed in a command performance before Queen Elizabeth 2nd.
Upon a triumphant return from England, they are reputed to have performed before US President, Dwight D Eisenhower. Despite their success in England and in Canada, their records were not selling well so left their former record company RCA and signed for the smaller company Beacon Records. But, even with the promotional efforts of Joe Davis, the owner of Beacon, their record sales are still disappointing so they re-signed with RCA. Surprisingly in 1954, they are back with Beacon. They also performed with Count Basie, Fats Waller, Charlie Christian and Thelma Carpenter.
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