Biography
Although overshadowed in fame by peers such as the Soul Stirrers and the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Paramount Singers ranked among the most enduring gospel ensembles of the modern period, sustaining the practice of unaccompanied vocal harmony across more than five decades. Formed in Austin, Texas, during 1936, the original Paramounts brought together brothers Geno and Kermit Terrell with brothers Ermant and A.C. Franklin, along with Herbert Sneed and Ben Williams. By the 1941 Library of Congress session Sneed had already given way to James Medlock, who would later sing with the Soul Stirrers; months afterward the first lineup dissolved when the Terrell brothers entered military service for World War II, after which both settled in the San Francisco vicinity. There they rejoined Williams and added two further Austin natives, Sam Reece and Victor L. Medearis.
Lineup turnover marked the new configuration from the outset, eventually leaving Geno Terrell and Williams as the sole originals; they were joined in succession by Vance “Tiny” Powell, Archie Reynolds, E. Morris Kelley, and, for a short interval, Paul Foster, who later achieved recognition with the Soul Stirrers. Foster’s departure brought Joseph Dean into the group in 1948; three years later Powell left to sing with the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi yet soon rejoined the Paramounts. Although the ensemble cut sides for nationally circulated Coral and Duke releases from the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, wider recognition remained elusive because steady employment and family obligations restricted performances almost entirely to the West Coast; Dean even turned down an invitation to join the Spirit of Memphis on account of its demanding itinerary.
A 1955 Duke date closed the Paramounts’ commercial recording activity for nearly four decades, yet the singers maintained a steady schedule of live appearances. Membership continued to shift—Powell departed again in 1963 to pursue blues work, though he rehearsed with the group until his death in 1973—while the 1979 passing of co-founder Williams eliminated both the bass voice and guitar support. Reynolds assumed the bass part himself, and when no replacement guitarist emerged the Paramounts, already accustomed to performing a cappella selections, abandoned instrumental accompaniment altogether, discovering that audiences often favored the purely vocal approach. In 1992 the Paramounts, then comprising Reynolds, Dean, Clyde Price, J.B. Williams, William Johnson, and the Rev. Odis Brown, released Work and Pray On, their first new recording in 37 years.
Lineup turnover marked the new configuration from the outset, eventually leaving Geno Terrell and Williams as the sole originals; they were joined in succession by Vance “Tiny” Powell, Archie Reynolds, E. Morris Kelley, and, for a short interval, Paul Foster, who later achieved recognition with the Soul Stirrers. Foster’s departure brought Joseph Dean into the group in 1948; three years later Powell left to sing with the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi yet soon rejoined the Paramounts. Although the ensemble cut sides for nationally circulated Coral and Duke releases from the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, wider recognition remained elusive because steady employment and family obligations restricted performances almost entirely to the West Coast; Dean even turned down an invitation to join the Spirit of Memphis on account of its demanding itinerary.
A 1955 Duke date closed the Paramounts’ commercial recording activity for nearly four decades, yet the singers maintained a steady schedule of live appearances. Membership continued to shift—Powell departed again in 1963 to pursue blues work, though he rehearsed with the group until his death in 1973—while the 1979 passing of co-founder Williams eliminated both the bass voice and guitar support. Reynolds assumed the bass part himself, and when no replacement guitarist emerged the Paramounts, already accustomed to performing a cappella selections, abandoned instrumental accompaniment altogether, discovering that audiences often favored the purely vocal approach. In 1992 the Paramounts, then comprising Reynolds, Dean, Clyde Price, J.B. Williams, William Johnson, and the Rev. Odis Brown, released Work and Pray On, their first new recording in 37 years.
Albums
