Musicians, and the music they create, can inspire emotional debates among
listeners and fans over which type of sound is best, who is the superior artist, etc. Now
and then, however, a single artist or group projects a sound which is popular with an
impressive cross-section of audiophiles. During the 1960s, for instance, Simon and
Garfunkel had a sound which was generally liked and respected by virtually everyone.
Extending this analogy to the realm of vocal group harmony, it is safe to say that there
are a few scattered groups which are able to cross all the boundaries and receive a positive
nod of the head from most collectors. One group which seems to fit into this category is the
4 Vagabonds.
BEGINNINGS OF A CAREER
The story of the 4 Vagabonds goes back to 1933 when lead tenor John Jordan and baritone Norval Taborn
were singing with a forgotten bass and tenor in Vashon High in St. Louis. Soon after
this first taste of group harmony, Taborn located first tenor Robert O'Neal and Jordan
recruited bass and guitarist Ray Grant, Jr. Following their first rehearsal session, Jordan
recalled that the foursome knew they had a good thing
going (even though they were only singing glee club songs at the time). After only three
weeks of singing together, the 4 Vagabonds were broadcasting their own show over WEW,
the University of St. Louis radio station. It was during this four-month stint that the
Vashon High glee club was broken down into quartets for a school contest. Although the
4 Vagabonds were by far the most popular entry, the judges awarded first place to
another group, pointing out that the quartet's following and radio gig indicated that they
were likely to stick together anyway. The judges were certainly correct on that score.
An audition for WIL (St. Louis) netted the group a Sunday show from 5:30
- 6 P.M., sponsored by the Missouri Insurance Co. Besides the weekly pay of $25.00, the
quartet gained invaluable experience and developed their harmony patterns, usually engineered
by Norval Taborn who had a flair for blending voices. During this 2½
year period, the 4 Vagabonds also did a network show on KSD (St. Louis), when they were
called on to replace the Mills Brothers. This major break for the Vagabonds may very well
have been due to the illness which ultimately took the life of John Mills, Jr in January
1936, and nearly terminated The Mills Brothers' career for good. This would be ironic, since the
4 Vagabonds were so heavily influenced by the sound of The Mills Brothers.
IMPORTANCE OF RADIO
During the early 1930s, The Mills Brothers were propelled to immediate
stardom by the new medium of radio. The Piqua, Ohio quartet was the first black vocal
group to achieve nationwide fame, mainly as a result of their ability to imitate the sound
of musical instruments with their voices and cupped hands. The 4 Vagabonds were heavily
influenced by them (for they also did the pseudo-instrumental effects), as well as by the
wave of other groups which followed during the 30s: the 3 Keys, the Charioteers, the 3
Sharps and A Flat, the Ink Spots, and the Deep River Boys. More noticeably, the 4
Vagabonds developed their own unique brand of harmony from singing together constantly.
Popularity did not come for the quartet because of records—they did
not have a session until several years later—but through radio. In February 1936, a black
radio personality named Joseph Richardson Jones brought the 4 Vagabonds to Chicago
after he'd heard them on St. Louis stations. They filled the void created by the departure
of the 3 Sharps and A Flat when that group joined Duke Ellington's tour. At this time, the 4 Vagabonds
employed the services of arranger Spencer Odom. None of the quartet could read
music at this point, so Odom played various arrangements on the piano until the group
memorized them. Odom never appeared on any of the 4 Vagabonds' recordings, but did stay
on until 1943, when he left to join the spiritual-singing Southernaires. At that time, he was replaced
by Bill Sanford.
Once in Chicago, the 4 Vagabonds landed a berth on Don McNeil's
Breakfast Club, heard daily on the Blue Network. [NBC owned both the Red and Blue Networks
until 1941, when an anti-trust court decision required them to dispose of one of them. The
Red Network became known as NBC, while the Blue Net was sold and rechristened ABC.]
From 1936 to 1946, the group appeared three times a week on the Breakfast
Club to sing two pop tunes and one spiritual on each show.
Around 1938, they began appearing daily on the Club Matinee
at 4 P.M. Hosted by Durwood Kirby, Garry Moore, and Ransom Sherman, this program was also
heard over the Blue Network. Until 1945, the 4 Vagabonds not only sang but had their
own comedy lines written into the script. Each member had a nickname on the program: Ray
was "Cyclone," Norval was "Contagious," Bob was "Security,"
and John was "Aloysius."
The two Blue Network shows provided a source of regular exposure, which
was augmented by appearances elsewhere. In 1938, they did a 13-week "minstrel show"
with Amos 'n Andy. They later appeared on ABC's Tin Pan Alley Of The Air and on the
Curt Massey Show. They also had a 13-week gig on the airwaves with Danny Thomas, in
1943, from the Great Lakes Naval Training Station. During the 1945-46 season, they did the
Chesterfield Supper Club show with Perry Como, based in New York; and they
frequently guessed on the 15-minute Nat "King" Cole program. The 4 Vagabonds
repeatedly made their way into millions of American homes through the medium of radio, and
even sang commercial messages. Examples include an Atlas Prager beer spot which was
recorded in 1939 and used until 1950, and promotional messages for Uncle Ben's Rice during
the 1940s.
Some events in the music industry, which read like alphabet soup,
affected the 4 Vagabond's radio work. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters
formed BMI to combat the high rates being charged by ASCAP for the right to play
ASCAP-published tunes on the airwaves. As a reaction to the new competition from BMI,
ASCAP announced that it would double its royalty rates in 1940. NAB, representing the
nation's radio stations, struck back by boycotting all ASCAP tunes until ASCAP ultimately
surrendered in 1941. During the BMI-ASCAP war, the 4 Vagabonds had to abandon their
theme song, the ASCAP-published ST. LOUIS BLUES. Fortunately, they were able to substitute
an original composition entitled THE VAGABOND DRAG, which was registered with BMI
and, therefore, acceptable for broadcast.
OFF-THE-AIR FANFARE AND VINTAGE TELEVISION
The 4 Vagabonds' had built up a real following. They had fan clubs in Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Detroit, Baltimore. and Atlantic City. Clubs they appeared
in during their career include McBan's in Buffalo, Detroit's Circle Club, Club Niagara in
Denver, Billy Byrd's in Los Angeles, Nick's Show Club in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and both the
Plantation Club and Club Riviera in St. Louis. Among the theaters where the well-traveled
foursome appeared are the Fox in St. Louis, the Paradise in Atlantic City, and the Regal,
Oriental, and Southtown - all located in the Windy City of Chicago.
The 4 Vagabonds did 90% of their own musical arrangements, and, by 1942, they had a staggering
repertoire of 1500 tunes to which all new hits were added as a matter of course. Songs
premiered by the 4 Vagabonds on the airwaves included THIS CAN'T BE LOVE, DON'T GET
AROUND MUCH ANYMORE, DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE FROM ME, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON AGAIN ALL OVER
THE WORLD, SERENADE OF THE BELLS, EASY STREET, MY HEART TELLS ME and IT ALL COMES BACK TO
ME NOW. Their photos also appear on sheet music for THIS CAN'T BE LOVE and GOLD MINE IN
THE SKY. In the late 30's, the group also did some experimental television shows free of
charge for a Zenith-built station with a range of approximately fifty miles. It was not
destined to be their final encounter with the burgeoning medium.
In considering their career, it should be remembered that, unlike The Ink
Spots and Mills Brothers, who made their income primarily through record sales and live
appearances, the 4 Vagabonds were radio personalities above all else. In January 1945, they were on a new program called Tin Pan Alley Of The Air, which was broadcast in WMAQ in Chicago. Each week the show honored an American composer. In July 1947 they had a Saturday afternoon show on NBC.
RECORDING CAREER
In 1941, RCA Victor's Bluebird subsidiary approached the quartet after
having heard them on a radio show. Never under contract, the 4 Vagabonds were paid a
flat rate of $3000 for each of their four sessions for Victor, and they also relinquished
all royalties. NBC was in charge of managing the group.
All sessions took place in Chicago. The first of these was held on December 17,
1941, when they recorded SLOW AND EASY, THE DUKE OF DUBUQUE, MY HEART RAN AWAY WITH MY HEAD, and ONE BROKEN HEART FOR SALE. SLOW AND EASY/THE DUKE OF DUBUQUE was their first Bluebird release (in April 1942)
and it featured the simulated instrumental effects a la Mills Brothers. Norval Taborn was
the "trumpet," Jordan and O'Neal made convincing "trombones" and Ray
Grant was, of course, the "bass fiddle."
John Jordan recalled that the most popular discs cut by the group were
their patriotic war tunes, and the first of these were cut at their second session, held on January 15, 1943.
The quartet went to the studio with two other songs rehearsed, but at the last
moment, the composer refused to sign a release. Bluebird officials gave then ROSIE THE
RIVETER and ROSE-ANN OF CHARING CROSS and told the group that if they liked the tunes, a
new session date would be arranged. The versatile group looked the songs over, fooled
with them for a half hour, and then informed Bluebird that another hour of practice was
all the time they needed. They went on to cut them both in only one take apiece! While they were geared up for action, they also waxed I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM and TEN LITTLE SOLDIERS (ON A TEN DAY LEAVE).
I HAD THE CRAZIEST DREAM and ROSIE THE RIVETER were released in February, 1943, followed the next month by ROSE ANN OF CHARING CROSS and TEN LITTLE SOLDIERS (ON A TEN DAY LEAVE).
ENTER JAMES C. PETRILLO
A crisis in the recording industry made the talents of the 4
Vagabonds even more desirable to RCA. James C. Petrillo was the President of the American Federation
of Musicians, and he called two strikes, concerning musicians' wages, which
crippled the music industry. The first "Petrillo Ban," which prevented all union
musicians from playing their instruments at recording sessions, lasted from August 1, 1942
to November 11, 1944. Record companies jammed their studios with artists in order to cut
as many masters as possible before the ban took effect, and these were released during the
ban. This explains, for instance, why The Mills Brothers cut no discs from 1942 until late
1944. The effect of the strike was minimal upon the 4 Vagabonds, who imitated the
instruments they needed anyway. However, on discs such as TEN LITTLE SOLDIERS, the group
had to substitute a ukulele, which the AFM didn't consider to be a serious instrument, for
Ray Grant's usual guitar accompaniment.
In 1943, the 4 Vagabonds did over 50 known transcriptions for Standard Transcriptions.
These recordings (see discography) were pressed up and used by radio stations to work the
4 Vagabonds into many different programs.
Nine of the transcription recordings found them as backup to Patti Clayton and a further
ten were behind "Janette," who is almost certainly Janette Davis. Both of these singers would
later be associated with Arthur Godfrey.
On May 26, 1943, the 4 Vagabonds held their third Victor session. The two songs recorded were IT CAN'T BE WRONG and COMIN' IN ON A WING AND A PRAYER, which were issued in June. Their final Victor session was held two years later, on May 12, 1945, and at that time they did two more tunes: A G.I. WISH and IF I WERE YOU. These were coupled for a June 1945 release, this time on the parent Victor label.
The Bluebird releases, and the single Victor disc, show the talent of
the group not only at reading romantic ballads, but also the up-tempo tunes designed to
inspire the sluggish workers on the war-oriented assembly lines. They also sang the
quasi-spiritual, COMIN' IN ON A WING AND A PRAYER. Despite the popularity of these
recordings, however, a postwar slump in the recording industry caused the 4 Vagabonds
to leave Victor to record for Atlas Records (which had recently been renamed from Premier Records). Jordan said that one
regret at leaving Victor was that their discs were promoted far more efficiently than at
any of the subsequent labels.
Their sole Atlas release (I CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND/OH WHAT A POLKA) was issued in July 1945. While probably all their voices were heard in their radio broadcasts, OH WHAT A POLKA is the only one of their recordings on which John Jordan doesn't do lead. On this one, Norval Taborn was out in front.
Then it was off to Irving Green's fledgling Mercury label. (Note that his father, Albert Green, owned National Records.)
Here, they recorded TAKING MY CHANCE WITH YOU and WHEN THE OLD GANG'S BACK ON THE CORNER, which were
released in February 1946. These Mercury sides got nowhere fast, and new manager Mort Davis got
them a contract to record for Ike Berman's Apollo label in New York (another relatively new company).
Their first Apollo session was held on November 13, 1946. The four songs they recorded that day were:
HOE CAKE, HOMINY AND SASSAFRAS TEA, KENTUCKY BABE, DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS, and THE PLEASURE'S ALL MINE. On this session, John Jordan showed up hoarse. The producer procured a bottle of scotch, and while this succeeded in restoring Jordan's
voice, he had no further recollection of the day! The first two songs from this session were issued in December 1946 and the second two were released in February 1947.
DREAMS ARE A DIME A DOZEN and I WONDER WHO'S KISSING HER NOW were recorded on March 4, 1947 and released the next month. By that time, they'd already been back to the studio (on March 26), at which time they'd laid down four more tracks: P.S. I LOVE YOU, THE FRECKLE SONG,
ASK ANYONE WHO KNOWS, and OH MY ACHIN' HEART. These were all issued in April also.
Their final four Apollo sides, CHOO-CHOO, LAZY COUNTRY SIDE, THE GANG THAT SANG HEART OF MY HEART, and THAT OLD GANG OF MINE were recorded around July, and released in August. Note that by this time they'd done four songs with 'Gang' in the title.
Apollo was dismal as far as promotion of the group's discs was concerned, as illustrated by the fact
that the only time Jordan even heard his classic P.S. I LOVE YOU was on a jukebox.
Due to Ray Grant's troubles (see below), the 4 Vagabonds did no more recording for around two years. Then there was a single release on Lee Egalnik's Miracle label in September 1949: MIGHTY HARD TO GO THROUGH LIFE ALONE/MY HEART CRIES. This had probably been recorded several months earlier, because Bill Sanford, who's on it (see below), had already left the group to replace Howard Biggs as the arranger for the Ravens by the time the record came out. The only thing Jordan recalled about Miracle was the dumpy Chicago studios they had. The disc achieved no commercial success.
There wasn't much recording left for the guys. Only billed as "The Vagabonds" from then on, they recorded "I GUESS I'M A FOOL" as a backup group to Memphis Slim. Released on Premium in June of 1950, the group wasn't on the flip. There's also November 1951's THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION, on Mercury, behind the Ralph Marterie Orchestra. It's a toss-up whether this is them or the integrated Vagabonds who were occasional guests on the Arthur Godfrey Show.
BREAKUP OF A GREAT GROUP
The 4 Vagabonds continued traveling, playing the "845" in Brooklyn, Atlantic City's Nomad Club, the Cove and Palumbo's in Philadelphia, and New
York's Cafe Society and the Zanzibar club.
In 1945, Ray Grant began to go blind and was
totally so by the year's end. Undaunted, the quartet rehearsed their entrances and
departures from the stages they played so well that the audiences never knew of the guitarist's
handicap. The 4 Vagabonds broke up in late 1947, but reformed in early 1949, when Grant's vision returned.
Chicago was always a hotbed for R&B music, and on April 1, 1949,
WENR-TV telecast the first all-black show ever. The program entitled Happy Pappy, was emceed by Grant, and the 4 Vagabonds provided musical backing for the show, which had an all-black cast and studio audience. Later in 1949, Ray Grant left to form a quintet called the Swanee Larks and was
replaced by the aforementioned arranger Bill Sanford, who took over at bass and guitar and
is heard on their Miracle recording When Sanford left to go with the Ravens, Frank
Houston was brought into the group.
After six months on the Johnny Desmond Show the group disbanded in 1952.
Primarily radio entertainers, the 4 Vagabonds were among the many casualties of the
onslaught of television's attack upon radio markets. Very few black vocal groups were able
to achieve success on the small screen, the notable exception being The Billy Williams
Quartet. It is ironic to note that the 4 Vagabonds' career started at the time black
vocal groups started to achieve popularity in America, and ended just as the vocal group
explosion of the Rock and Roll era was starting with help from promoters such as Alan
Freed.
By July 1953, John Jordan was a Chicago cab driver. He had been the lead of one of the most respected Chicago vocal groups of all time (even though they were originally from St. Louis); one which could have blown the Flamingos off any stage. He eventually formed the Johnny Jordan Quartet, but they never recorded.
Even with their rather mild success or lack of it, on records it cannot
be denied that the 4 Vagabonds were a key group in the long parade of recorded black
harmony.
The main discography is, as usual, from Ferdie Gonzalez. Gino Alfano upbraided me
for not having a listing of the 4 Vagabonds' transcription discs; fortunately he sent me
the list. You'll find it at the end of the discography.
Musicians, and the music they create, can inspire emotional debates among
listeners and fans over which type of sound is best, who is the superior artist, etc. Now
and then, however, a single artist or group projects a sound which is popular with an
impressive cross-section of audiophiles. During the 1960s, for instance, Simon and
Garfunkel had a sound which was generally liked and respected by virtually everyone.
Extending this analogy to the realm of vocal group harmony, it is safe to say that there
are a few scattered groups which are able to cross all the boundaries and receive a positive
nod of the head from most collectors. One group which seems to fit into this category is the
4 Vagabonds.
