Biography
Though the Zion Travelers never reached the national profile attained by peer gospel quartets such as the Soul Stirrers, Pilgrim Travelers, or the Swan Silvertones, they ranked among the era’s most accomplished ensembles. Their wide stylistic range supplied recordings that furnished a representative survey of gospel-quartet performance throughout the late 1940s and 1950s.
The ensemble operated in the Los Angeles, CA, region and showcased leads L.C. Cohen and Bartha L. Watkins. Remaining members comprised L.W. Van (tenor), Garland Fate Mason (tenor), Wesley Sherman (baritone), and Felton Vernon (bass). Formed in 1944, the group cut its first sides in late 1947 and early 1948 for the Atlas label, yielding the two singles “I Can’t See Mine” coupled with “Good News” and “Prayin’ Time” paired with “I’m Gonna Tell You.” Two further releases appeared in 1949 on the Rex label: “Jesus” backed by “Golden Bells” and “I Have a Friend” teamed with “God Leads His Children Along.” The early 1950s brought two additional singles on the Ruby label—“Lord Jesus” with “Come Over Here” and “God’s Blood” with “King Jesus Rolls All Burdens Away.” Because these outlets remained comparatively obscure, the earliest Zion Travelers 78s are now scarce. A June 1950 Billboard notice indicated that the group had recorded for the newly established Sultan Records of Natchez, MS; however, the Hayes-Laughton gospel discography records no confirmed Sultan discs by the Zion Travelers. The reference may instead have alluded to the Zion Travelers Spiritual Singers of Baton Rouge, LA, roughly ninety miles from Natchez.
In 1953 the quartet moved to the Aladdin Records operation owned by brothers Eddie and Leo Mesner, issuing two singles: “Charge to Keep I Have” coupled with “Your Wicked Ways” and “Stand By Me” paired with “Last Days.” Four additional discs followed in 1953 and 1954 on the company’s Score subsidiary; two of these—“Come Over Here” and “Movin up the King’s Highway”—also surfaced on an Imperial various-artists LP compilation.
By 1956 the group had shifted to Dootsie Williams’ Dootone (later Dooto) label, cutting two singles: “Two Little Fishes” backed with “Death of Jesus” and “Soldier of the Cross” paired with “Close to Thee.” These titles, together with “He Lightened My Heavy Load,” also appeared on Dootone LP-225, The Best Gospel Singers, which further included selections by the Kansas City Soul Revivers (notably their “Jesus Came at Midnight”) and the Friendly Five. Dootone’s liner notes noted the quartet’s appearances in the films God of the Mountains and Miracle Through Songs, and identified “Two Little Fishes” as the group’s strongest-selling single to that point. “Death of Jesus” presents a somber arrangement driven by insistent harmonies and a forceful lead reminiscent of the Five Blind Boys; the same harder approach surfaces on “Close to Thee” and “He Lightened My Heavy Load.” In contrast, “Soldier of the Cross” features a soft falsetto lead in the manner of the Swan Silvertones’ Claude Jeter set against a smooth, understated R&B-flavored background. The Zion Travelers navigated both idioms with equal facility, underscoring their versatility and command.
During 1957 the ensemble recorded for another Los Angeles imprint, Ebb Records, owned by Lenora Rupe, which released a single pairing “Believe in Me” with the moving ballad “Beautiful City”; both sides later appeared on the Ace CD The Ebb Story, Vol. 2. In 1958 the group returned to the studio for six tracks issued as three singles on the Excell label: “Milky White Way”—a version of the Trumpeteers’ 1948 charted single—backed with “Eternity,” “There’s Nothing I Can Do” coupled with “It’s Amazing,” and “Jesus” teamed with “Steal Away.”
In the early 1960s the Zion Travelers rejoined Dooto, now with personnel changes: Lloyd Macklin and William Robinson replaced tenors Van and Mason, and Joe Hughes became the regular guitarist. This second Dooto association produced five singles plus additional tracks on Dooto LP-807, Down by the River. The sound remained consistent with the earlier Dootone sessions and benefited from Dootsie Williams’ clear engineering, which placed light instrumentation behind the ensemble’s precise vocals. Standouts from this period include the mid-tempo numbers “By and By,” “Packin’ Up,” “Just a Little Talk With Jesus,” and “Every Time I Feel the Spirit,” while more intense selections such as “I Must Tell Jesus,” “God I’ll Live,” and the stark “The Blood” demonstrate the quartet’s capacity for emotionally charged, house-wrecking performances. The Down by the River LP also contains “I Dreamed of a City,” a reprise of their earlier Ebb recording “Beautiful City” and an equally affecting gospel ballad. An Ace Records CD, Dootone Masters, now gathers all the Dootone material—twenty-five tracks drawn chiefly from the original master tapes, including two previously unreleased cuts. The Zion Travelers thereby bequeathed an extensive recorded legacy that exemplifies the pinnacle of quartet singing during gospel’s golden age.
The ensemble operated in the Los Angeles, CA, region and showcased leads L.C. Cohen and Bartha L. Watkins. Remaining members comprised L.W. Van (tenor), Garland Fate Mason (tenor), Wesley Sherman (baritone), and Felton Vernon (bass). Formed in 1944, the group cut its first sides in late 1947 and early 1948 for the Atlas label, yielding the two singles “I Can’t See Mine” coupled with “Good News” and “Prayin’ Time” paired with “I’m Gonna Tell You.” Two further releases appeared in 1949 on the Rex label: “Jesus” backed by “Golden Bells” and “I Have a Friend” teamed with “God Leads His Children Along.” The early 1950s brought two additional singles on the Ruby label—“Lord Jesus” with “Come Over Here” and “God’s Blood” with “King Jesus Rolls All Burdens Away.” Because these outlets remained comparatively obscure, the earliest Zion Travelers 78s are now scarce. A June 1950 Billboard notice indicated that the group had recorded for the newly established Sultan Records of Natchez, MS; however, the Hayes-Laughton gospel discography records no confirmed Sultan discs by the Zion Travelers. The reference may instead have alluded to the Zion Travelers Spiritual Singers of Baton Rouge, LA, roughly ninety miles from Natchez.
In 1953 the quartet moved to the Aladdin Records operation owned by brothers Eddie and Leo Mesner, issuing two singles: “Charge to Keep I Have” coupled with “Your Wicked Ways” and “Stand By Me” paired with “Last Days.” Four additional discs followed in 1953 and 1954 on the company’s Score subsidiary; two of these—“Come Over Here” and “Movin up the King’s Highway”—also surfaced on an Imperial various-artists LP compilation.
By 1956 the group had shifted to Dootsie Williams’ Dootone (later Dooto) label, cutting two singles: “Two Little Fishes” backed with “Death of Jesus” and “Soldier of the Cross” paired with “Close to Thee.” These titles, together with “He Lightened My Heavy Load,” also appeared on Dootone LP-225, The Best Gospel Singers, which further included selections by the Kansas City Soul Revivers (notably their “Jesus Came at Midnight”) and the Friendly Five. Dootone’s liner notes noted the quartet’s appearances in the films God of the Mountains and Miracle Through Songs, and identified “Two Little Fishes” as the group’s strongest-selling single to that point. “Death of Jesus” presents a somber arrangement driven by insistent harmonies and a forceful lead reminiscent of the Five Blind Boys; the same harder approach surfaces on “Close to Thee” and “He Lightened My Heavy Load.” In contrast, “Soldier of the Cross” features a soft falsetto lead in the manner of the Swan Silvertones’ Claude Jeter set against a smooth, understated R&B-flavored background. The Zion Travelers navigated both idioms with equal facility, underscoring their versatility and command.
During 1957 the ensemble recorded for another Los Angeles imprint, Ebb Records, owned by Lenora Rupe, which released a single pairing “Believe in Me” with the moving ballad “Beautiful City”; both sides later appeared on the Ace CD The Ebb Story, Vol. 2. In 1958 the group returned to the studio for six tracks issued as three singles on the Excell label: “Milky White Way”—a version of the Trumpeteers’ 1948 charted single—backed with “Eternity,” “There’s Nothing I Can Do” coupled with “It’s Amazing,” and “Jesus” teamed with “Steal Away.”
In the early 1960s the Zion Travelers rejoined Dooto, now with personnel changes: Lloyd Macklin and William Robinson replaced tenors Van and Mason, and Joe Hughes became the regular guitarist. This second Dooto association produced five singles plus additional tracks on Dooto LP-807, Down by the River. The sound remained consistent with the earlier Dootone sessions and benefited from Dootsie Williams’ clear engineering, which placed light instrumentation behind the ensemble’s precise vocals. Standouts from this period include the mid-tempo numbers “By and By,” “Packin’ Up,” “Just a Little Talk With Jesus,” and “Every Time I Feel the Spirit,” while more intense selections such as “I Must Tell Jesus,” “God I’ll Live,” and the stark “The Blood” demonstrate the quartet’s capacity for emotionally charged, house-wrecking performances. The Down by the River LP also contains “I Dreamed of a City,” a reprise of their earlier Ebb recording “Beautiful City” and an equally affecting gospel ballad. An Ace Records CD, Dootone Masters, now gathers all the Dootone material—twenty-five tracks drawn chiefly from the original master tapes, including two previously unreleased cuts. The Zion Travelers thereby bequeathed an extensive recorded legacy that exemplifies the pinnacle of quartet singing during gospel’s golden age.