The Orioles

Under Sonny Til’s leadership, the Orioles became the first Black vocal ensemble to address its performances squarely to Black listeners. Their late-1940s and early-1950s recordings established the template later followed by R&B vocal groups and doo-wop acts. Blending conventional pop numbers with gospel feeling, the singers reworked blues and gospel pieces into smooth, close-harmony settings calculated to reach the widest possible public.

The Baltimore-based Orioles originally comprised lead singer Sonny Til, tenor Alexander Sharp, baritone George Nelson, bass Johnny Reed, and guitarist Tommy Gaither. Still in their teens when they formed as the Vibranaires, the young musicians attracted the notice of local shopkeeper and songwriter Deborah Chessler, who supplied many of their later successes. Chessler took on management duties and secured the group an appearance on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. Although they were bested by pianist George Shearing, New York record executive Jerry Blaine spotted them during the visit.

Blaine placed the act on his fledgling It’s a Natural imprint, where they recorded the Chessler ballad “It’s Too Soon to Know.” After signing, the Vibranaires adopted the name the Orioles. The single appeared on It’s a Natural in late summer 1948, but National Records objected to the new label’s name, prompting Blaine to shift the release to his earlier Jubilee imprint, previously known for Yiddish comedy discs. “It’s Too Soon to Know” topped the R&B chart and reached number 13 on the pop side—the first time a Black group had crossed over with a “race” record. The seasonal follow-up “(It’s Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas” entered the R&B Top Ten by year’s end.

In spring 1949 “Tell Me So” became the Orioles’ second R&B number-one, launching a run of six charting singles that year. The others included “A Kiss and a Rose” (number 12, late summer), “I Challenge Your Kiss” (number 11, fall), “Forgive and Forget” (number five, fall), a reissued “(It’s Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas” (number five, winter), and its flip side “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” (number nine, winter).

After that banner 1949, misfortune struck. An automobile crash in 1950 killed Gaither and seriously hurt Nelson and Reed; Nelson departed later that year. While Reed recuperated, the group recruited guitarist Ralph Williams and vocalist Gregory Carroll. This revised lineup scored its first hit in 1952 when “Baby Please Don’t Go” climbed to number eight on the R&B chart. Their greatest success arrived the next summer with “Crying in the Chapel,” which held the R&B list for five weeks, peaked at number 11 pop, and earned gold certification; Elvis Presley revived the song twelve years later. Before 1953 ended, “In the Mission of St. Augustine” also reached the R&B Top Ten, marking the Orioles’ final hit.

The original lineup began to dissolve in 1954 when Sharp and Reed joined the Ink Spots. Til formed fresh iterations that attracted little notice, yet he continued fronting various versions of the Orioles on stage and in re-recordings of their catalog until his death in 1981. Nelson passed away around 1959 and Sharp died in the early 1970s. Four decades after the original members disbanded, the Orioles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.