The Four Knights
Encyclopedia
The Four Knights were an American
vocal
group
from Charlotte
, North Carolina
.
), Oscar Broadway (bass), Clarence Dixon (baritone
), and John Wallace (tenor, guitar
). This line-up remained the same for much of the band's career. They first sang under the name Southland Jubilee Singers, and performed gospel music
as well as vocal pop
and doo-wop
numbers. Their first professional job came in 1944 on WSDC radio station
, an NBC
subsidiary based in Charlotte. Soon after they became featured performers on the program Carolina Hayride, broadcast on CBS
affiliate WBT
. They recorded transcription discs for Langworth Records in the middle of the decade and changed their name to The Four Knights in 1945.
Later in 1945, the group moved to New York
, where they appeared on Arthur Godfrey
's radio show. They signed with Decca Records
in 1946, releasing four singles
over the next two years. They appeared on Red Skelton
's radio program through most of 1948 and toured with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. In 1949 they released two more singles on the Decca subsidiary Coral Records
.
The group lost its recording contract
with Skelton in 1950, when its manager had an asking price for the Knights' services which was above Skelton's show's budget. The manager broke the contract rather than try to reach a compromise with the program. The group fired him for this, since they had now lost a major source of exposure. They signed to Capitol Records
the following year, where they would remain for six years and some 40 single releases, along with two LP
s and three EP
s. The 1951 release "I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile" hit #23 on the U.S.
pop
chart
. As television
became more widespread, they renewed their contract with Skelton for his TV show and also appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Their 1954 hit "I Get So Lonely When I Dream About You (Oh Baby Mine)" went to #2 on the charts in the U.S. and was their biggest success in America, though they had several other charting releases in the early 1950s. Under the name "Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely)", the song also went to #5 in the UK Singles Chart
that year. The group accompanied Nat King Cole
on his hits "My Personal Possession" and "That's All There Is to That".
Gene Alford had to leave the group in the middle of the 1950s due to his worsening epilepsy
, and was replaced by George Vereen and then Clifford Holland (formerly of the Delta Rhythm Boys). Alford died in 1960.
In 1957 the group re-signed with Coral, releasing four further singles and two LPs. Their last hit was "Oh Falling Star" in 1959, which peaked at #83. They released a few further singles on minor labels into the 1960s but had essentially quit the music industry by the middle of the decade. Three years after Alford's death, Clarence Dixon left the group; in 1966, it was disbanded. John Wallace died in 1978 and both Dixon and Broadway retired to the Los Angeles area.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
from Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
Career
The group was formed in 1943, with an original membership of Gene Alford (lead tenorTenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), Oscar Broadway (bass), Clarence Dixon (baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
), and John Wallace (tenor, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
). This line-up remained the same for much of the band's career. They first sang under the name Southland Jubilee Singers, and performed gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
as well as vocal pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
numbers. Their first professional job came in 1944 on WSDC radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, an NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
subsidiary based in Charlotte. Soon after they became featured performers on the program Carolina Hayride, broadcast on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate WBT
WBT (AM)
WBT is a radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina, broadcasting on the AM dial at 1110 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it can be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night. It simulcasts on WBT-FM, at 99.3 MHz in Chester, South Carolina. It is owned by Greater...
. They recorded transcription discs for Langworth Records in the middle of the decade and changed their name to The Four Knights in 1945.
Later in 1945, the group moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where they appeared on Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
's radio show. They signed with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
in 1946, releasing four singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
over the next two years. They appeared on Red Skelton
Red Skelton
Richard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
's radio program through most of 1948 and toured with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. In 1949 they released two more singles on the Decca subsidiary Coral Records
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....
.
The group lost its recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Skelton in 1950, when its manager had an asking price for the Knights' services which was above Skelton's show's budget. The manager broke the contract rather than try to reach a compromise with the program. The group fired him for this, since they had now lost a major source of exposure. They signed to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
the following year, where they would remain for six years and some 40 single releases, along with two LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s and three EP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s. The 1951 release "I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile" hit #23 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. As television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
became more widespread, they renewed their contract with Skelton for his TV show and also appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Their 1954 hit "I Get So Lonely When I Dream About You (Oh Baby Mine)" went to #2 on the charts in the U.S. and was their biggest success in America, though they had several other charting releases in the early 1950s. Under the name "Oh Baby Mine (I Get So Lonely)", the song also went to #5 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
that year. The group accompanied Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
on his hits "My Personal Possession" and "That's All There Is to That".
Gene Alford had to leave the group in the middle of the 1950s due to his worsening epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, and was replaced by George Vereen and then Clifford Holland (formerly of the Delta Rhythm Boys). Alford died in 1960.
In 1957 the group re-signed with Coral, releasing four further singles and two LPs. Their last hit was "Oh Falling Star" in 1959, which peaked at #83. They released a few further singles on minor labels into the 1960s but had essentially quit the music industry by the middle of the decade. Three years after Alford's death, Clarence Dixon left the group; in 1966, it was disbanded. John Wallace died in 1978 and both Dixon and Broadway retired to the Los Angeles area.