The Phoenix Singers

The Phoenix Singers were a trio of male African-American folk singers active in the early 1960s. The members Ned Wright, Arthur Williams, and Roy Thompson were all former members of The Belafonte Folk Singers.

The trio was the musical guest on the first broadcast of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, October 1, 1962.

Carson wrote the liner notes for their first record album, The Phoenix Singers, issued by Warner Bros., WB1485, 1962. Vocal arrangements and musical direction for this album was by Milt Okun. Okun called The Phoenix Singers “one of my failure groups.” (Along the Cherry Lane, 2011, page 106.)

Their second and only other album, Warner Bros WB1522, was recorded live at The Shadows (later The Cellar Door), Georgetown, Washington, DC, entitled The Phoenix Singers in Concert.. The Phoenix Singers also appeared on at episodes of the TV show Hootenanny, as well as the Today show.

A few recordings from their albums have recently been added to YouTube.

Bass. Member of The Belafonte Folk Singers, the Phoenix Singers and the Seafarers Chorus. Born in Jamaica. Roy was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the City College of New York and went to Italy on a Buitoni Music Scholarship. As soloist with The Jubilee Singers, he toured Europe, Asia and North Africa under U.S. Sponsorship. Broadway audiences saw him in "To Late the Phalarope", "Carmen Jones", "Show Boat" and "Jamaica". Thompson wrote, arranged and recorded an album called "Ambassador of Calypso" (Request RLP8029). In early 1959 he joined the vocal quartet accompanying Harry Belafonte on his national tour.

Tenor. From South Bend, Indiana. Attended Indiana University and the Juilliard School of Music, and was a winner of the National Negro Musicians Award. Williams appeared with Louis Armstrong on the Bell Telephone Hour and as a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra and Chorus in the Mozart Requiem. He numbered among his credits Broadway appearances in "Show Boat", Carmen Jones", "Finian's Rainbow" and "Porgy and Bess". Member of The Belafonte Folk Singers and The Phoenix Singers. Appeared with Belafonte on many concerts over the years, notably heard as background voice in "Try To Remember".

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