Uploaded by myraredoowop on Oct 6, 2011
Previously Unissued Recordings!
The Orioles were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal bands who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound.
The Orioles are generally acknowledged as R&B's first vocal group. These Baltimore natives blended rhythm with group harmonies. Dubbing themselves after Maryland's state bird, The Orioles started the trend of bird groups (The Cardinals, The Crows, The Flamingos, The Larks, The Penguins, The Ravens, The Wrens, etc.).[1] They brought their winning formula to their first charted hit "It's Too Soon To Know"; a #1 record in November of 1948, soon followed by the group's second hit, "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas", in December that same year
,,,[edit] Original membersSonny Til (born Earlington Carl Tilghman, 18 August 1928, Baltimore, Maryland — died 9 December 1981, Washington, D.C.) (lead tenor)
Alexander Sharp (born December 1919, Baltimore — died January 1970 [1]) (high tenor)
George Nelson (born 1925, Baltimore — died 1959 [2]) (baritone)
Johnny Reed (16 August 1923, Baltimore - 18 June 2005) (bass vocals and double bass)
Tommy Gaither (born c.1919, Baltimore — died 5 November 1950, Baltimore [3]) (guitar).
[edit] Early yearsAround 1947, Sonny Til sang regularly in amateur shows at the Avenue Cafe in Baltimore, where he met Nelson, Sharp and Gaither. They decided to form a group, calling themselves The Vibra-Naires, and aspiring songwriter Deborah Chessler became their manager. In April 1948 the group appeared on the Arthur Godfrey radio talent show in New York, with Richard Williams as bass singer, but he was then replaced by Johnny Reed.
The group won a recording deal with the "It's A Natural" record label, a subsidiary of Jubilee Records, and changed their name to The Orioles in honor of the state bird of Maryland and in emulation of another popular group, The Ravens. In July 1948, they recorded Chessler's song "It's Too Soon To Know", with Sonny Til taking lead vocals. The record reportedly sold 30,000 copies in its first week, rising to #1 on the national R&B charts in November 1948, and leading to cover versions by artists such as the Ravens, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington. It was also one of the first "race" songs to cross over into mainstream markets, reaching # 13 on the pop charts.
The Orioles then began touring widely, and started recording for the Jubilee label. Their next smash hit was "Tell Me So" in 1949, which again reached # 1 in the R&B chart but this time failed to cross to the pop charts. Other hits included "Forgive And Forget" and "Lonely Christmas".
In performance, The Orioles were a phenomenon, with girls in the audiences screaming, fainting, and attempting to reach their idol Sonny Til in particular. They differed from groups like the Mills Brothers and the Delta Rhythm Boys in that they made vocal music with limited orchestration and accompanied only with the guitar of Tommy Gaither and the bass Johnny Reed. From 1948 to 1954, they cut over 120 sides for the Natural and Jubilee labels. By late 1950 they were major stars, although their supply of hit records had dried up.
Tragedy struck in November 1950. The group was traveling in two cars near Baltimore. Gaither drove one, with Reed and Nelson as passengers. He took a corner too fast and lost control of the car, which rolled down an embankment and crashed into a drive-in restaurant. Gaither was killed and Nelson and Reed were severely injured. Til and Sharp, in the other car, were not near enough to witness the accident and only heard about it when they arrived home.
For a short time, only Til and Sharp performed as the Orioles, but soon added two new members, guitarist/second tenor Ralph Williams and pianist Charlie Harris. Nelson returned in a few days, and Reed a few weeks later. Just a year after their tragic accident, the group were involved in another accident in Akron, Ohio, but there were no injuries. In 1952, they had another R&B hit with blues song "Baby Please Don't Go", which was an early 45rpm issue available only on red vinyl.
Early in 1953, George Nelson, who had a drink problem, left the Orioles, and was replaced by John "Gregory" Carroll, formerly of another Baltimore group, the Four Buddies. In June 1953, they recorded a version of Darrell Glenn's country song "Crying In the Chapel". This was to become The Orioles' biggest hit, staying at # 1 in the R&B charts for five weeks in August and September, and reaching # 11 on the pop charts. It was also to be their last big hit, with only a version of "In The Mission Of St. Augustine" later in the year reaching the R&B charts.
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36 videos

YouTube Mix for The Orioles
3:00
My Heart Belongs To Only You-Bette Mclaurin & The Striders-'1952-Derby 804-Bby myraredoowop171 views
2:22
Don't Stop- The Orioles-1952-Jubilee unreleased.wmvby myraredoowop115 views
2:16
The Orioles- Angelby soulfuljakazz07135 views
3:10
Sonny Til & The Orioles - At Nightby phunkyjunction1,211 views
2:21
The Orioles - Till Thenby richardkcarson1,270 views
2:59
The Orioles - It's Too Soon To Know (1948)by RSputkimies380 views
2:43
Sonny Til & The Orioles - Hey Little Woman (CP Parker 219)by boogaludo2,901 views
4:00
The Oriolesby evemag1315,810 views
3:02
The Orioles - I Miss You Soby richardkcarson1,309 views
3:18
Sonny Til & The Orioles - Forgive & Forgetby phunkyjunction1,641 views
2:53
The Orioles-In The Mission Of St Augustine Jubilee Recordsby Westtoledoguy936 views
2:21
Orioles - Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheepby phunkyjunction346 views
2:16
Bill Haley and The Comets - Farewell, so long, goodbyeby TheManofDistinction320 views
1:48
The Orioles-Write And Tell Me Whyby doowopdesire8806722 views
2:46
The ORIOLES - Lonely Christmas.wmvby BenquetMazzaPascal7566 views
2:55
The Orioles- Cigareetosby soulfuljakazz0794 views
2:18
Barbra Lee-The Orioles-1948-Jubilee 5000-B.wmvby myraredoowop58 views
2:46
My Happiness Forever-Lavern Baker & Gliders-1956-Atlantic.wmvby myraredoowop568 views
2:33
Sonny Til And The Orioles-So Longby doowopdesire8806358 views
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Although unreleased, this tune is awesome and very much in the unique style of its lead voice, Sonny Til. My thanks to the uploader myraredoowop for the accompanying information.
Aldantonio18 5 days ago
@Aldantonio18 it's my pleasure & thank you,
myraredoowop 5 days ago
WOW, what a beautiful song. Thanks for the great info on this............
mommomlinda 1 month ago
@mommomlinda it's my pleasure & thank you,
myraredoowop 5 days ago
Should have been released. SOOOOOOOOOOO Cool. Makes me want to slow dance.Brings back fond memories.
Archangel506a 5 months ago
@Archangel506a ,,IT'S MY PLEASURE & THANK YOU..
myraredoowop 4 months ago