The Dixie Hummingbirds
| The Dixie Hummingbirds | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Greenville, South Carolina, United States |
| Genres | Gospel |
| Years active | 1928–present |
| Labels | Decca, MCA, Peacock |
| Members | William Bright, Lyndon Jones, Torrey Nettles, Carlton Lewis, and Adebo Wali (Ira Tucker Jr) |
| Past members | James Davis (1916-2007) (founder), Ira Tucker (1925-2008) (lead singer), Willie Bobo, Jimmy Bryant, Barney Gipson, Claude Jeter (1914-2009), J.B. Matterson, Fred Owens, Paul Owens, Barney Parks, Beachy Thompson, James Walker, William Henry (bass) (1922-1997), Howard Carroll, Willie Coleman, bass guitarist and vocals |
The Dixie Hummingbirds are an influential American gospel music group, spanning more than 80 years from the jubilee quartet style of the 1920s, through the "hard gospel" quartet style of gospel's golden age in the 1940s and 1950s, to the eclectic pop-tinged songs of today. The Hummingbirds inspired a number of imitators, such as Jackie Wilson and James Brown, who adapted the shouting style and enthusiastic showmanship of hard gospel to secular themes to help create soul music in the 1960s.
Formed in 1928 in Greenville, South Carolina, by James B. Davis and his classmate Barney Parks under the name the Sterling High School Quartet. After seeing the success of other quartet groups and realizing that there was not much work for African Americans in the South outside of low-paying labor jobs, the quartet decided to leave school and pursue their dream of being professional spiritual entertainers. By making this move, they had to change the name of the group to cut ties with the school. Davis recalls how they changed their name to the Dixie Hummingbirds:
“I figured that was the only bird could fly both backwards and forwards. Since that was how ours career seemed to be going [laughs], I figure that was a good name, and the guys went along with it”
The Hummingbirds traveled around the South singing spirituals. It was not until 1938 when James Bryant (formerly with the Heavenly Gospel Singers) joined the group that they start to sing Gospel. In September 1939 (Davis disputes the year as being 1938) The Hummingbirds drove to New York using contacts that Bryant had to record with Decca Records.
Lead singer Ira Tucker joined the group in 1938 at age 13 after the Hummingbirds came back from making records in New York City. Bryant abruptly left after clashing with the group. With engagements picking up, they had to find a replacement, and they soon heard of a young singer from nearby Spartanburg. In addition to his formidable vocal skills, Tucker introduced the energetic showmanship - running through the aisles, jumping off stage, falling to his knees in prayer - copied by many quartets that followed. Tucker also took the lead in the stylistic innovations adopted by the group, combining gospel shouting and subtle melismas with the syncopated delivery made popular by The Golden Gate Quartet, as well as adventuresome harmonies, which the group called "trickeration", in which another member of the group would pick up a note just as Tucker left off.
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