The Jubalaires

The Jubalaires were an American gospel group active between 1935 and 1961. Originally known as the Royal Harmony Singers,^[1] the band was known for song verses delivered in a rhythmic, rhyming style that has been described as an early version of rapping.^[3][4]

The Jubalaires
The "Original Jubalaires": from left to right Orville Brooks, Theodore (Teddy) Brooks, Caleb Ginyard and George McFadden.
Background information
Origin	Florida, United States
Genres	American folk, gospel, spirituals, proto-rap
Years active	1935–1961
Labels	Capitol, Decca, King
Past members	Caleb Ginyard[1] Willie Johnson[2] Orville Brooks Theodore Brooks George McFadden John Jennings Jimmy Adams Elijah Wright Willie Wright

History

The band's name was derived from Jubal, a biblical figure in Genesis who is sometimes regarded as "the father of all harpists and organists."^[5]

The band reached no. 10 on the R&B charts on November 14, 1942, with "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" a song adapted from the speech of a naval chaplain in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor the previous year.^[6] Other releases included "Before This Time Another Year" / "Ezekiel (Saw the Wheel A Rollin')" (released under the Decca Records label), "God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down" / "Go Down Moses" (King Records), and "My God Called Me This Morning" / "Ring That Golden Bell" (King Records).^[7]

The band recorded with Andy Kirk on November 27, 1945, a session which produced the Decca Records 78rpm release "I Know" / "Get Together with the Lord" credited to Andy Kirk & His Orchestra with the Jubalaires. A third track recorded during the session, "Soothe Me", went unreleased.^[8]

In 1946, the Jubalaires secured a spot on Arthur Godfrey's CBS radio show.^[9] Willie Johnson left the Golden Gate Quartet to take the lead of the group in 1948, and in 1950 the band appeared in the musical comedy film Duchess of Idaho.^[2][10]

The band's recording of "Dreaming of the Ladies in the Moon" (Crown Records) attracted the praise of Billboard magazine, which gave the record a mark of 78/100 in the 17 April 1954 issue, commenting that "The boys here come thru with a strong reading on a bright ballad with an evocative flavor." The reviewer compared the Jubalaires' treatment of the song with the style of the Mills Brothers and predicted it could become a break-out hit.^[11] In the 15 December 1951 issue, Billboard praised the group's performance on the release "David and Goliath" / "I've Done My Work" (Capitol Records).^[12]

Most of the music by the Jubalaires was released by Queen Records, a King Records subsidiary specializing in African-American music. However, later reissues of their music appeared under King Records.^[13]

Band members

Original members

• Orville Brooks, vocals (January 27, 1919 – August 30, 1997)^[14]
• Theodore Brooks (aka Ted Brooks), baritone vocals (July 4, 1915 – September 8, 1997)^[15][16]
• Caleb Ginyard, vocals (January 15, 1910 – August 11, 1978)^[17]
• George McFadden, vocals

Other members

• Willie Johnson
• John Jennings
• Jimmy Adams
• Elijah Wright (bass)
• Willie Wright (tenor)^[17]