The Trumpeteers

The Golden Gate Quartet provided the key inspiration for this ensemble, whose frontman Joe Johnson delivered spectacular singing that propelled them into the public consciousness during the late ’40s through their Score Records recording of “Milky White Way.” Tenor Raleigh Tunrage, baritone Joseph Armstrong, and bass James Keels completed the original lineup. Repeated personnel shifts prompted a name change to the CBS Trumpeteers in the mid-’50s, adopted specifically to support their CBS radio program.