Biography
Producer Jerry Moss once hailed George "Ooppee" McCurn as "one of the very greatest and sought-after bass singers in the gospel field." Although Chicago was his hometown, McCurn's first documented professional engagement did not surface until 1948, when he stepped into the Kings of Harmony vocal quartet in place of the celebrated gospel bassist Isaac "Dickie" Freeman. No known recordings preserve McCurn's contributions with that ensemble, and nothing on disc documents a short-lived West-coast ensemble called the Gospel Harps that he also joined briefly. In 1950 he seized the opportunity to replace Freeman once more, this time with the already renowned Fairfield Four, cutting his initial sides for Dot that October. Every subsequent Dot release by the Fairfield Four features McCurn's bass voice except the earliest dozen tracks, which still employed Freeman.
McCurn remained until the Fairfield Four disbanded in late 1954, at which point he moved to another established act, The Pilgrim Travelers. He later stated that he spent five years traveling and recording with them, appearing on their final Specialty sessions even after founding tenor Kylo Turner had been succeeded by Lou Rawls and the group had been renamed The Travelers. Freed from regular commitments by 1961, McCurn stepped away from gospel temporarily to tour Europe with The Ink Spots through November 1962. Back in Los Angeles he connected with Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss at their new A&M label. In January 1963, accompanied by Alpert, Moss, and arranger Shorty Rogers, he cut his debut solo single, "I'm Just a Country Boy." The track scraped onto the Billboard Hot 100 at position #100 the following March. Its companion album, Country Boy Goes to Town!!!!!, issued as A&M LP 102, attracted no listeners. Today the LP ranks among the rarest titles in the A&M catalog, yet it remains so little known that most collectors are unaware of its existence.
McCurn made only sporadic later recordings, hired when sessions specifically called for a deep bass backing voice, and he never returned to gospel performance. By the time Don Williams converted "I'm Just a Country Boy" into a genuine hit in 1977, McCurn had long since withdrawn from music and was entirely forgotten. He died in Los Angeles in 1985 at age 65. Among the many artists who, during McCurn's prime, had lauded him as "the greatest gospel bassist in the world" were Jesse Belvin and Sam Cooke; neither survived to attend his funeral.
McCurn remained until the Fairfield Four disbanded in late 1954, at which point he moved to another established act, The Pilgrim Travelers. He later stated that he spent five years traveling and recording with them, appearing on their final Specialty sessions even after founding tenor Kylo Turner had been succeeded by Lou Rawls and the group had been renamed The Travelers. Freed from regular commitments by 1961, McCurn stepped away from gospel temporarily to tour Europe with The Ink Spots through November 1962. Back in Los Angeles he connected with Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss at their new A&M label. In January 1963, accompanied by Alpert, Moss, and arranger Shorty Rogers, he cut his debut solo single, "I'm Just a Country Boy." The track scraped onto the Billboard Hot 100 at position #100 the following March. Its companion album, Country Boy Goes to Town!!!!!, issued as A&M LP 102, attracted no listeners. Today the LP ranks among the rarest titles in the A&M catalog, yet it remains so little known that most collectors are unaware of its existence.
McCurn made only sporadic later recordings, hired when sessions specifically called for a deep bass backing voice, and he never returned to gospel performance. By the time Don Williams converted "I'm Just a Country Boy" into a genuine hit in 1977, McCurn had long since withdrawn from music and was entirely forgotten. He died in Los Angeles in 1985 at age 65. Among the many artists who, during McCurn's prime, had lauded him as "the greatest gospel bassist in the world" were Jesse Belvin and Sam Cooke; neither survived to attend his funeral.
Albums