During gospel's golden age the Pilgrim Travelers ranked as Specialty's most active gospel ensemble and counted among the era's leading and most impactful acts. Their trademark "walking rhythm" set them apart, while audiences also celebrated the group's rowdy stage shows and commanding stagecraft.
Joe Johnson and Willie Davis launched the ensemble in Houston in the early 1930s. Willie Davis shifted the act to Los Angeles in 1942, bringing along relatives Kylo Turner and Keith Barber. By mid-1945 bass singer Raphael Taylor and light tenor J.W. Alexander had joined; Alexander, a former semi-pro baseball player who appeared with Negro league clubs such as the Ethiopian Clowns and the New Orleans Crescent Stars, soon added managerial responsibilities to his duties.
The Pilgrim Travelers deliberately patterned their approach on the Soul Stirrers and the Golden Gates. Although naturally a baritone, Turner employed a note-bending falsetto reminiscent of pop crooners, while co-lead Barber delivered a clear, sweet tone paired with an exuberant platform style. To distinguish the Travelers from rivals, Alexander insisted the members refine a precisely coordinated stage presentation that grew steadily more frantic over time, thrilling the many female fans who attended their concerts.
The group cut its debut sides in early 1947, releasing singles on several small Los Angeles imprints. By year's end they joined the Specialty roster and recruited new baritone Jesse Whitaker in place of Davis.
Following a series of a cappella tracks, the Travelers began tracking material with a microphone capturing their rhythmic foot-tapping. Specialty's initial publicity described the result as "Something New -- Walking Rhythm Spirituals," and listeners quickly embraced the distinctive approach. The act issued six singles in 1948 and three more the next year; in 1950 Specialty put out ten additional sides, all of which sold well, especially "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" and "Mother Bowed."
At the height of their popularity Barber suffered a 1950 car crash that impaired his voice. Simultaneously the rise of the Soul Stirrers' Sam Cooke rendered Turner's vocal manner increasingly dated, and the group's commercial standing declined almost immediately.
Subsequent personnel shifts further unsettled the lineup. Bassist George McCurn replaced Taylor in 1954, and both Turner and Barber departed by mid-decade. When the ensemble disbanded in 1956 it had committed more than 100 songs to tape. A later version billed simply as the Travelers featured Lou Rawls yet otherwise left little mark.
In 1959 Alexander joined Sam Cooke in establishing SAR Records. The label tried to revive Turner's career, but by then the singer struggled with alcoholism and reached Los Angeles too intoxicated to record. He eventually returned to Texas, where he died several years after his cousin Barber. Whitaker withdrew to his family farm in New Jersey, while Alexander continued to attract work as a producer and manager.
