Weatherford Quartet
| The Weatherfords | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Weatherford Quartet Weatherford Trio |
| Origin | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Christian, southern gospel |
| Years active | Early-1940s–present |
| Labels | RCA Victor, Heart Warming |
| Associated acts | The Cathedrals, The Imperials |
| Website | theweatherfords |
| Past members | Kenny Payne 1990--1994: 1995--1997 |
The Weatherfords (also Weatherford Quartet and Weatherford Trio) is an American southern gospel music vocal group.
The Weatherfords were formed by husband and wife Earl Weatherford and Lily Weatherford, who first began singing together in the mid-1940s in Long Beach, California after their marriage in 1944. Earl had founded the group prior to this as an all-male troupe, and Lily began filling in on the tenor parts in 1948, eventually becoming the group's most visible member. They moved several times over the next few decades, to Fort Wayne, Indiana, Akron, Ohio, Fontana and Sacramento, California (as part of the staff of Calvary Temple), and Paoli, Oklahoma.
The group sang on California radio stations ( KFOX- KBGR-KBIG ) in the 1940s, and was offered a full-time spot on radio station WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1949. In the 1950s, they recorded for RCA Victor. In 1959, The Weatherford Quartet recorded an album for RCA called In The Garden that was produced by Chet Atkins, and also featured guitar work by Atkins. It was recorded in Nashville at RCAs Studio B. They also worked in collaboration with evangelist Rex Humbard between 1953 and 1963. The group's other key members at this time were Glen Payne, Armond Morales, and Henry Slaughter.
The Weatherfords departed Akron, Ohio for California in 1963, and the groups The Cathedrals and The Imperials were formed from members of the Weatherfords at this time as well.
Other notable members included Dallas Holm, whose time with the group was short due to his draft requirements during the Vietnam War; Jim Hammel, who went on to be a long-time member of the Kingmens Quartet; David Engles, who now owns and operates a radio network out of Tulsa, Oklahoma (KNYD); and Dave Roland (Dave & Sugar).
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