On January 12, 1995, in a ceremony in New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the Orioles were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It's probable that most of the audience [record company executives for the most part], never heard of the Orioles or knew of their contribution to the music. And what was that contribution? The Orioles literally inspired an entire generation of black singers. Their heirs then went on to take Rhythm and Blues (a black music genre) and transform it into Rock And Roll. In other words, this (nowadays) obscure group from Baltimore is the reason that the Hall Of Fame is in existence today. Period. Whether it's realized or accepted is unimportant. The Orioles, while certainly not the first practitioners of their art, were the first to make it big, very big.

Sonny Til, leader of the Orioles, was born Earlington Carl Tilghman in 1925. He picked up the nickname "Sonny" from his favorite record as a child: Al Jolson's "Sonny Boy." From the start, Sonny knew he wanted to be an entertainer. As he said:

Then Sonny took the amateur show route and that’s how the Orioles were born. It was at Baltimore’s Avenue Cafe that things began to come together in the late 40s. Sonny would sometimes sing at the amateur shows at the Avenue Cafe. As he said:

Actually, Sonny’s pre-Orioles appearances were more extensive than he remembered. Researcher Charlie Horner has found him billed at clubs with every possible variant of "Sonny," "Earl," "Til," and "Tilghman." Clearly, he was searching for his identity.

And who is Johnny Reed, and how did he get to be the bass of the first "superstar" Rhythm and Blues group? Said Johnny:

So in the spring of 1948, the 23-year-old Sonny Til put together a group, called the Vibra-Naires, with his friends first tenor Alex Sharp, baritone George Nelson, and guitarist/second tenor Tommy Gaither. Johnny Reed was aware of the formation, although he said that the group itself never appeared at the Avenue Cafe.

Enter Deborah Chessler, a Baltimore salesgirl who was also a fledgling songwriter. In March of 1948, the first of her songs was recorded: "Tell Me So," by Savannah Churchill on the Manor label. While the song didn't become a hit this time around, it would later on.

One night, Deborah got a call from a man named Abe Shaffer, who'd been approached by the Vibra-Naires in the hopes that he'd manage them. He'd even helped them make some demos, but now he was stuck. Not knowing what to do, he called Deborah (a friend of his sister-in-law), and asked her to listen to them. The group sang "Two Loves Have I" for her over the phone, and she was hooked. She began getting them small gigs and arranged for them to appear on the prestigious Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts Show in New York.

"I am proud and happy to say that Deborah Chessler was our manager," said Sonny. "She made it possible for the Orioles to become whatever we became because she managed us and she wrote a lot of the tunes which became big hits for us. When we met her, she was a saleslady." Strangely, she wrote relatively few songs that the group recorded: "It's Too Soon To Know," "Barbra Lee," "Tell Me So," "Forgive And Forget," "I'm Just A Fool In Love," “A Scandal,” “Two Party Line,” and "I Need You Baby" were all her compositions. She was also co-writer of "Waiting" and "Teardrops On My Pillow." In addition, there were a few songs that others recorded, such as “Before It's Too Late” (Sunny Gale, Bobby Colt), “Once In Every Lifetime” (Sunny Gale), and “Always A Bridesmaid” (Jo Anne Tolley).

Johnny Reed was a bit unclear about the earliest days, but apparently Sonny wanted him to join as bass, so that they could go to New York for the Godfrey show. However, Johnny was a professional musician—a union member—and felt he couldn't go on this amateur program. So from somewhere, Sonny got bass Richard Williams to round out the group, and off they went to New York.

On April 26, 1948, the Vibra-Naires drove up to New York and appeared on the Godfrey show, singing "Exactly Like You," a song that Ruth Etting had made a hit in 1930. They came in third, losing to blind pianist George Shearing. Since they didn't win, they simply packed up and went home.

At this point, Johnny Reed was in and Richard Williams was out. Says Johnny, "I didn't know Richard Williams. I didn't see him when he went up there and I didn't see him when he came back... Richard disappeared just as fast as he'd come in."

Deborah Chessler remembers Richard Williams as "A tiny little guy. He didn't look like any of the others; he didn't fit in. And then they found Johnny. After the Godfrey show, Richard didn't show up to a rehearsal, and at the next one they had Johnny."

What the Vibra-Naires didn't realize was that they'd made such a big hit (causing the show to receive a couple of thousand phone calls and telegrams) that Godfrey wanted them to appear on his daytime radio show in spite of their loss. A telegram was sent to Deborah, and the Vibra-Naires ended up appearing twice, probably on May 10 and 13 (Godfrey's telegram was dated May 6). On the show, they sang "Barbra Lee" and "I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)."

Soon, Deborah went back to New York, to try to get some more opportunities for her group. Bringing along the demos that the Vibra-Naires had recorded for Abe Shaffer, she met Sid DeMay, and the wheels started turning. DeMay, who had once worked for National Records and who had been a partner with Jerry Blaine in Cosnat Record Distributors, was impressed enough to start the It's A Natural label (at 220 West 42 Street [dial WI-7-6092]), just to handle the group. Natural was distributed by Blaine's Cosnat, and Blaine himself may even have been involved at this early point. However, before they recorded, the name "Vibra-Naires" disappeared into history, to be replaced by the easier-to-spell "Orioles" (to honor the state bird of Maryland). They would soon be known as "The High-Flying Orioles."

Sometime in July 1948, the Orioles had their first session, at which they recorded six sides: "At Night," "Barbra Lee," "It's Too Soon To Know," "Exactly Like You," "Tell Me So" (the version with the humming bridge), and "I Cover The Waterfront." From the beginning, the style of the Orioles was generally to have Sonny take the lead, with George Nelson doing the second bridge. These were Sonny's recollections of that first session:

The Ink Spots had popularized the pattern of a "talking bass" on the bridge of a song. So why didn't the Orioles use George's baritone instead of Johnny's bass on the bridge? "George was a showman," said Johnny. "Leave me back there hummin', that's my thing." Also, Sonny and George worked out a little dance step which would bring George up to the lead mike (the five of them only used two mikes), and Johnny was prevented from doing this because of his full-size stand-up bass.

What was it like lugging that bass around? "You don't want to know. We did pretty good with it because they would help me with it... The only way you can get a good sound is from a wooden bass, not a Fender. A Fender's too mechanical. You'll always find a good bassist with an upright bass.... [In the car] it takes up the room of a whole person."

In July 1948, Natural issued the first Orioles record: "It's Too Soon To Know"/"Barbra Lee," two tunes that had been written for them by Deborah Chessler (when the inspiration had first struck, she'd composed the words to "Too Soon" in a bathroom on some toilet paper).

Introduced on New York's WHOM by black DJ Willie Bryant and his white co-host Ray Carroll, it started taking off almost immediately (selling 30,000 copies in its first week). By the time it had finished its 17-week run on the national R&B charts, it had risen to #1 (although only for a single week). More surprising is that it peaked at #13 on the Pop charts, something not many R&B songs did in those days. It was such a big hit, in fact, that it was covered by the Ravens, the Charioteers, the Deep River Boys, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Lee Richardson, Savannah Churchill, Marion Robinson, Ronnie Deauville, and the Jimmy Valentine Quintet. The Orioles' version was both a Cash Box "Race Disk of the Week" and a Billboard Pick of the Week.

The record was reviewed in the August 21, 1948 issue of The Cash Box, as follows:

And here's what Billboard said about "It's Too Soon To Know" on September 4:

However "Barbra Lee" didn't fare so well:

That same week, Billboard listed it as a Pick (along with Kay Kyser's "Slow Boat To China").

[Keep in mind that reviews in Billboard and Cash Box weren't meant for the general public. They were for the owners of jukeboxes, record distributors, and anyone else who purchased directly from the manufacturers.]

The song catapulted the Orioles to the top in a "hot minute." Did Johnny think the Orioles were something special? "It was just something we all did and we liked doing it. We were just some guys out there singing and hoping that it would fan into something, which it did." Did it ever! Johnny found the success of "It's Too Soon to Know" shocking. "It skyrocketed and scared me half to death. I didn't know what to do. So I went and got a six-pack right away. No chaser."

In 1948, the ages of the Orioles were approximately: Sonny (23), George (25), Johnny (19), and Tommy (29). Alex's age is unknown, but Johnny says he was the youngest of the group.

How did Sonny see the market that the Orioles sold in?

In late October, Sid DeMay and former bandleader Jerry Blaine (head of Cosnat Distributors) became partners in Jubilee Music, a company set up to publish songs from the It's A Natural catalog. (Somehow, Blaine seems to have been involved from the start with the Orioles, but there are too many conflicting stories to sift through.) Deborah Chessler immediately signed a 5-year contract with Jubilee Music and the Orioles signed a 5-year contract with Natural. Jubilee didn't get the rights to "It's Too Soon To Know," however, since Deborah had already sold them to the Edwin H. Morris publishing house (six publishers had been bidding for it, said the trade papers). Also in October, the Orioles signed, for bookings, with the prestigious Gale Agency.

And then, almost as soon as the It's A Natural label came into existence, it vanished. Sid DeMay's former National Records associates informed him that the name "Natural" was too close to "National" for comfort. Thus, on October 23, DeMay announced that "all future releases of the Orioles ... will be on the Jubilee label" (located at 764 10th Avenue; just pick up your phone and dial PL-7-8140). The November 6 issue of Billboard reported that "Natural Records has changed its name to Jubilee Records to avoid confusion with the National label." In late October or early November, "It's Too Soon To Know" was re-released on the new Jubilee label, and it was listed in Billboard the following week. Jubilee's November ad for the Orioles' follow-up record had the dice at the top and the tag line "Follow up with another NATURAL." (Note that there was another Natural label in 1955, a short-lived subsidiary of Herald Records.)

Actually, the Jubilee label had been in existence since 1946. There were a couple of releases (on a 2500 series) by Bunk Johnson and his New Orleans Band, backing up Sister Ernestine Washington (how's that for an unusual combination?), the Two Gospel Keys, and Jewish comedian Lee Tully. Jubilee had started as a partnership between Jerry Blaine and Herb Abramson, both former National Records employees, before Abramson left, in early 1947, to help form Atlantic Records.

Although we tend to think of the Orioles as innovators, it's important to remember that art doesn't exist in a vacuum. They, in turn, had other artists influencing them. If you listen to Charles Brown (with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers) singing "You Are My First Love," you can hear how heavily Sonny was influenced by him. And Sonny said there were others:

As soon as the records began selling, the group started moving. They played theaters up and down the East Coast and toured with some of the leading names in Rhythm & Blues. Much has been written about the rigors of travelling, and the constant one-nighters were grueling. But manager Deborah Chessler was right there with them at all times, and strangely, so was her mother. Said Johnny: "Mom Chessler was a heavy lady, but she was right there with us. She'd go on one-nighters with us. She didn't have nothing else to do, so she traveled with us."

On October 9, 1948, the Orioles proudly began a week at Baltimore's Royal Theater, due to a sudden cancellation by an ailing Louis Jordan. They sang "It's Too Soon To Know," "Deacon Jones," "To Be To You," "Ain't She Pretty," and "Stomp Stomp."

The Orioles next session was held sometime in the fall of 1948. Considering the number of titles cut (11), it's reasonable to assume that there was more than one day involved. This time they laid down: "Two Party Line," "Lazy River Rolls By," a song with an unknown title (whose masters have been lost), "I'm Losing Something I Never Had," "To Be To You," "It Seems So Long Ago," "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas," "Deacon Jones," "Please Give My Heart A Break," "Tell Me So" (the single version, with George Nelson on the bridge), and "Dare To Dream."

The Orioles second record was issued in November 1948: "To Be To You," backed with the seasonal "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas." Here's how Cash Box reviewed the record on November 13, 1948:

Billboard, on the other hand, didn't like "To Be To You" in their December 4 review (although it received a rating only 3 points lower than its predecessor):

but was happy with the flip (none of which makes any sense, since they both received the same rating):

Like it or not, it became the Orioles second hit, climbing to #8 on the R&B charts.

By January 28, 1949, "It's Too Soon To Know" was still the eighth most played juke box race record, after seventeen weeks on the national charts. The February 2 issue of Billboard had an ad for "It's Too Soon To Know," which still touted it as a Natural record (complete with the old address for It's A Natural Records). Also in January, since "Lonely Christmas" sales had tapered off, Jubilee re-issued "To Be To You," with "Dare To Dream" on the flip.

In February, Jubilee released "Please Give My Heart A Break"/"It Seems So Long Ago." Billboard reviewed them this way on February 12:

In early 1949, the Orioles appeared on at least two TV shows: Eddie Condon's Floor Show on WNBC and Club Caravan on WATV, hosted by Bill Cook, a New Jersey DJ, who would soon become Roy Hamilton's manager.

The Orioles were a genuine phenomenon. The girls in the audiences reacted to Sonny in the same way they'd reacted to Frank Sinatra in the late 30's and the way they would later react to Elvis. There was screaming, crying, fainting. And above all, an attempt to get a "souvenir," like rings, cufflinks, any kind of jewelry, ripped right off the performers. When they played the Apollo, Porto Rico (the backstage manager), would say as they were leaving the theater: "You better bundle up because they're out there." This was a signal to make sure your wallet was protected. "They never got me," says Johnny Reed. "When they took off after Sonny, I went the other way."

Unlike some other groups, the Orioles didn't try out their songs on audiences before recording them. Johnny remembers: "Everything that we sang professionally, Jerry Blaine had recorded back and on the shelf... There's records coming out now that I forgot we even made 'cause in those sessions he'd put down a couple of bottles of whiskey and some hors d'oeuvres; it was really like a party. Little dumb us, we just cut everything we could cut and he put it on the shelf. He sold them or somebody sold them after he died."

April saw the release of the next Orioles record. It was their version of Deborah Chessler's first commercially-recorded song, "Tell Me So," backed with the Bullmoose Jackson tune from the prior year, "Deacon Jones." They were reviewed by Billboard on April 30:

Could be. By the time "Tell Me So" had finished its 26-week run on the R&B charts, it had reached #1 (although, like "It's Too Soon To Know," for only a single week).

The Orioles' next sessions took place in the spring of 1949. Since there are breaks in the master numbers, it's reasonable to assume that these 9 songs were done on three different days. (In the days when most artists recorded 4 songs at a session, it's interesting that there seemed to be no standard number for the Orioles.) The first five were: "Moonlight," "Every Dog-Gone Time," "You're Gone," Rudolf Friml's "Donkey Serenade" (led by George Nelson), and "It's A Cold Summer." Then there were three others: "Is My Heart Wasting Time," "I Challenge Your Kiss," and an unknown title whose master has been lost. The ninth song, "A Kiss And A Rose," seems to have been recorded on its own.

In June 1949, Jubilee issued "I Challenge Your Kiss," coupled with the old Allan Jones hit from 1938, "Donkey Serenade." This was a song that George Nelson particularly liked, and he got to lead it. Actually, it was the only Jubilee Orioles tune that wasn't led by Sonny.

Cash Box really liked the Orioles. Here are the reviews of "I Challenge Your Kiss"/"Donkey Serenade":

And here's what Billboard had to say:

"I Challenge Your Kiss" made the national charts for only a single week, where it stalled at #11.

In August, "A Kiss And A Rose"/"It's A Cold Summer" were released. The former was a cover of a tune by the Ink Spots that had been released in April of that year. Cash Box once again gave them great reviews. Note that the reviewer employs the British usage of a plural verb with a group noun ("the vocal group display"), instead of the more usual American usage of a singular verb ("the vocal group displays").

"A Kiss And A Rose" would go on to reach #12 (R&B), only remaining on the charts for a scant two weeks.

Also in August (the week beginning the 12th), the Orioles appeared at the Apollo Theater, along with Noro Morales and his Orchestra, Peg Leg Bates, and Clarence Muse.

On September 25, 1949, the Orioles were back in the studio to record "So Much" (Sonny's favorite of all the Orioles' songs), "Forgive And Forget," and Frank Loesser's "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve."

In October, Jubilee released "So Much"/"Forgive And Forget." "Forgive" was reviewed thusly by Cash Box:

The fans seemed to agree; "Forgive And Forget" rose to #5, and remained on the R&B charts for nine weeks.

November 1949 saw the release of Frank Loesser's 1947 classic, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve." It was backed with a re-issue of "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas." The top side was on the national charts for two weeks, peaking at #9; the flip (which had reached #8 the prior year) made it to #5 this time, although it only charted for a single week.

On December 23, the Orioles began a week at the Apollo Theater, along with Dizzy Gillespie, Moke & Poke, and Pigmeat Markham. While they were in town, they held another session on December 26, at which they only recorded a single tune: "Would I Still Be The One In Your Heart" (mislabeled when released as "Would You Still Be The One In My Heart"). It was issued in January, 1950, coupled with "Is My Heart Wasting Time." The sides were reviewed by Billboard on February 11:

Also in January, the Orioles appeared with Hal "Corn Bread" Singer, the 3 Flames, and the Rimmer Sisters at Baltimore's Royal Theater. On February 5, they were with Duke Ellington, Al Hibbler, Lu Elliott, and Kay Davis at the Civic Opera House in Chicago.

It was back to the studios on February 17, 1950, when they cut some sides using violins, an innovation in R&B music: "You Are My First Love," "If It's To Be," "I Wonder When," and "Everything They Said Came True." Why didn't it start a trend then (as the Platters would several years later)? Sonny said: "We were the first group that recorded with strings. That meant more musicians would have to be on the stage when we appeared, and it got too expensive."

While they were in for that session, the Orioles reported to the Apollo Theater, where they received a trophy from New York's disc jockeys (presented to them by Willie Bryant, Ray Carroll, Phil Gordon, Ralph Cooper, Bill Cook, and Harold Jackson). Dizzy Gillespie, Deborah Chessler, and Jerry Blaine were in attendance. Later that month, they headed down to Virginia to play the Town Club in Virginia Beach and the USO Auditorium in Norfolk.

In March 1950, Jubilee issued "At Night" and "Every Dog-Gone Time." They were reviewed by Billboard on April 8:

On April 19, the Orioles and Amos Milburn began a series of one-nighters in the south, kicking off at the City Auditorium in Savannah, Georgia. They'd go on to appear at Durham (North Carolina), Charleston (South Carolina), Pensacola (Florida), Jacksonville (Florida), Atlanta (Georgia), and Monroe (Louisiana).

On May 7, 1950, they appeared at a dance at the Starlite Arena in Baltimore. Later that month, on the 26th, they began a week's stay at the Apollo, along with bandleader Buddy Rich. Whereas they once sang for $15 apiece, they'd now be paid $5000 for the week (up from $500 the year before). They'd soon be paid the same in the other big venues: the Howard, the Royal, and the Earle.

Before coming to the Apollo, they'd appeared on the Larry Shields radio show in Savannah, Georgia (over WFRP). Shields had invited his listeners up to the studio, and the kids ended up ripping the Orioles' uniforms to shreds in order get souvenirs. The article went on to say that, since their bags had already gone on to their next venue, the guys had to borrow suits from a local tailor. However, this smacks of a press agent with an over-active imagination: it's unlikely that anything was "sent on ahead." Most probably, they had all the rest of their outfits downstairs in their cars.

By May, the Jubilee offices had moved from 10th Avenue to their new home at 315 West 47th Street. This probably coincided with Sid DeMay leaving the firm. He'd subsequently head up Uke Records in 1952 (located down the block at 224 West 47th).

Also in May, Jubilee released the beautiful "Moonlight," backed with "I Wonder When." Here's what Cash Box had to say about them on May 13:

And then Billboard, on June 3, decided they liked it the other way around:

The Orioles didn't use much choreography in their act. As was pointed out before, Sonny and George had a dip step that would bring George to the lead mike (where Tommy Gaither and Sonny Til normally were), and take Sonny to the group mike (with Alex Sharp and Johnny Reed). Sometimes Alex would do some steps during a sax break.

What Sonny did do was croon love ballads, making love to the microphone. His crooning drove the girls wild. Bob Schiffman, son of the owner of the Apollo Theater, recalled that when Sonny appeared, he would be greeted by such expressions of undying love as "ride my alley, Sonny." In fact, in an age when there was usually a fast "A" side and a slow "B" side, of the Orioles' first twenty records, only four sides were uptempo. This was one of the vital ingredients in the formula of their success.

June 3, 1950 was another session date. This time they recorded only two songs: "I'd Rather Have You Under The Moon" and "We're Supposed To Be Through."

Jubilee then rushed out "Everything They Said Came True"/"You're Gone" in time to be reviewed by Cash Box on June 10:

On June 12, in Suffolk, Virginia, they kicked off a 30-day tour of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. In July, the Orioles appeared with the Paul Williams Band, at the Maple Grove Inn in Devon, Pennsylvania. They were doing so well (and making Jerry Blaine so much money), that Blaine presented them with a new Cadillac when they played Asbury Park that month. It was reported that he'd recently given the group a $50,000 royalty check on top of that.

The next session was held on August 18, 1950. The four tunes were: "I Need You So," "Goodnight Irene," "I Cross My Fingers," and "Can't Seem To Laugh Anymore." The next day, they returned to record Una Mae Carlisle's "Walking By The River" and the Cats and the Fiddle's 1940 classic, "I Miss You So."

Four days later, they were at the Star Theater (in Akron, Ohio), as the kick-off of a three-week swing through the south and midwest. Other places they'd play on the tour included the Lyric (Lexington, Kentucky), the National (Louisville, Kentucky), the Lincoln (Columbus, Ohio), the Roosevelt (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), the State (Cincinnati, Ohio), the Bijou (Nashville, Tennessee), and the Liberty (Chattanooga, Tennessee). When they played the Lyric, some of the girls in the audience charged the stage to get near their idols; the Orioles fled to their dressing room, and this caused the postponement of the show for a half hour while the stage was cleared.

That same month, Jubilee released "I'd Rather Have You Under The Moon," coupled with "We're Supposed To Be Through." They were reviewed by Billboard on September 23:

The September 1950 release was Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene," backed with Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Need You So." They both got good ratings the week of October 4.

Then, on October 10, 1950, the Orioles returned to the studio to record a couple of religious songs that could be released for the Christmas season: "The Lord's Prayer" and "Oh Holy Night." Also in October, Jubilee issued "I Cross My Fingers"/"Can't Seem To Laugh Any More." The record was reviewed by Billboard on November 11:

Johnny Reed was one of the Orioles' designated drivers. He loved to drive in the 50s. Still does in the 90s. But even the driver has to rest, and Tommy Gaither was at the wheel on November 5, 1950, when the car crashed into a drive-in restaurant, killing Tommy and injuring Johnny and George, who were removed unconscious from the wreckage. (Sonny and Alex, along with Deborah Chessler, were in another car.) Tommy had taken a curve too fast and lost control of the car, which had careened across the highway, rolling over three times before crashing into the restaurant in the Essex section of Baltimore. They were on their way home from a gig in Hempstead, New York and were going to spend some time in Baltimore doing a little Christmas shopping before their next appearance, at Turner's Arena in Washington, D.C. The two cars had been traveling together, but Alex (who was driving Sonny's car at the time) lost track of Tommy. Not knowing about the accident, Sonny, Alex and Deborah went to their homes. When they learned about it, they all went to City Hospital to identify Tommy and see George and Johnny. Strangely, even with all the Orioles' success since their early days, the newspaper accounts continued to state that they were formerly known as the Vibranaires (their spelling).

Sonny recalled the loss that he felt at Tommy's death:

On their next engagement (at Turner's Arena), only Sonny and Alex were able to perform as the Orioles. Sonny began singing "My Buddy," but couldn't finish it (Alex did). Then they picked up two new members. Sonny remembered:

Ralph Williams was nicknamed "Oopie," probably from a habit of saying "oopie doopie doo." He'd been part of a trio backing Martha Davis (on the Jewel label) in 1948. The papers said that they were "D. Williams, a guitarist hailing from St. Louis, Mo. [another paper said Chicago], formerly with the 4 Esquires in Hollywood [or maybe the '4 Black Cats and a Kitten'] and more recently head of his own trio in New York City" and "Charles Harris, pianist of Philadelphia and Chester, Pa., recently featured [with his 6-piece combo] over WCAU-TV, Philadelphia [on the "Take Ten" show], is a temporary replacement for Johnny Reed, bass player, who is recovering in Baltimore's City Hospital." Actually, Harris became a permanent member of the group.

Ralph Williams usually only played guitar, but he would sing second tenor (as had Tommy Gaither) when they needed an extra voice (he's heard saying his trademark "oopie, doopie, doo" on the interchange in "How Blind Can You Be"). Charlie Harris wasn't a singer, just an accompanist. While Johnny Reed played on sessions (as had Tommy Gaither), Ralph Williams and Charlie Harris usually didn't.

It didn't take George Nelson long to return, but Johnny Reed was out for about three weeks. The Orioles were at the Earl Theater when Johnny hobbled in, and was standing in the wings watching the show. Duke Ellington spotted him and pulled him onstage, while Sonny announced his return. The crowd went wild. Wendell, Duke's bass player gave Johnny his bass. "I was on a cane at the time; I gave Wendell the cane and I went on to play."

"The Lord's Prayer" and "Oh Holy Night" were released in November. They were reviewed by Billboard on December 2:

On November 26, they took time out from an engagement in Detroit (with Duke Ellington) to do a benefit show at the Starlight Ballroom in Baltimore for Tommy Gaither's widow. It was arranged by Baltimore DJ Chuck Richards. That's when they introduced "Pal Of Mine," as a tribute to Tommy. They said it would be recorded at their next session (which wasn't true; two more sessions would go by first), along with "Tennessee Waltz" (which they never recorded at all).

Their next session was held on December 20, 1950, but they only recorded a single side: "I Had To Leave Town." It was supposed to have been issued as Jubilee 5061 (along with "If It's To Be," recorded back in February), but two other songs were substituted at the last minute.

In spite of the tragedy they'd just suffered, the Orioles were up to speed to play New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall on Friday, December 22. They were part of a lineup that starred bandleader John Kirby, who had the entire show broadcast over the Armed Forces Radio Service, as a holiday treat for servicemen, especially those in Korea. Others on the bill were Wilbur de Paris and His New Orleans All Stars and Juanita Hall. The MC for the evening was DJ Art Ford, of station WNEW. The playbill for the show has the Orioles singing a medley of their hit recordings: "It's Too Soon To Know," "Tell Me So," "Forgive And Forget," "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," and "Can't Seem To Laugh Anymore." In addition, there was a tune that they seemed to have forgotten to record along the way: "I Gotta A Gal 65, And I'm Just 23." This sounds more like something that Wynonie Harris would've done, but Johnny Reed remembers it was something that Ralph "oopie" Williams led. In truth, this was an oddball place for the Orioles to have played in 1950, and, according to Deborah Chessler, it was "not a packed house."

On December 25, the Orioles played Convention Hall in Atlanta. Ten percent of the group's earnings (matched by the promoter) was turned over to Tommy Gaither's widow.

The touring continued to take a toll, as the April 7, 1951 edition of the Chicago Defender reported:

While the car crashes were the worst thing that happened to the Orioles on tour, an article by Sonny in a 1952 issue of Tan Confessions (entitled "Why Women Go For Me") reveals other sources of trouble. Several quotes will serve to illustrate:

And:

And:

The same article reported on the togetherness of the Orioles:

In January 1951, Jubilee issued "I Miss You So."   (Incorrectly taken to have been recorded as a tribute to Tommy Gaither, it had, in fact, been cut the prior August. However, in spirit, it was a tribute to Tommy.) The flip was "You Are My First Love." The disc was reviewed by Billboard on February 3:

Sometime in March 1951, Sonny Til recorded a couple of solos: "My Prayer" and "I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody)." The Orioles weren't entirely absent, however: Ralph Williams was there on guitar and Johnny Reed played the organ. Why were they done? According to Sonny:

The Baltimore Afro-American, reporting on the solos, said "Sonny will definitely remain with the quintet and the sides he cuts for Jubilee on his own will be merely an added activity for him."

A few days later, on March 20, the Orioles finally got around to waxing "Pal Of Mine." The only other tune done that day was one written by Sonny and Charlie Harris, "Happy Go Lucky Local Blues." This was a song that really confused me. One day I realized that although there were riffs from "Night Train" in it, Jimmy Forrest wouldn't record "Night Train" until the following year. This led me back to Johnny Hodges' "That's The Blues, Old Man" from the early 40s, which also used some riffs from what would become "Night Train" (the record says that Hodges' orchestra was "an Ellington unit"). Other riffs would come from Ellington's own "Happy Go Lucky Local," recorded in 1946. Jimmy Forrest was with Ellington for a while, in the late 40s, and that's where he picked up all the pieces for "Night Train." Both Orioles songs were paired for an April release.

On April 20, 1951, the Orioles recorded another two tunes: "Would I Love You, Love You, Love You" and "When You're A Long, Long Way From Home," a song that had been written back in 1914. The two songs were coupled in a May release, and both received good reviews the week of June 2.

On May 4, 1951, the Orioles opened for a two-week engagement at the Strand Theater on Broadway, along with Count Basie and His Orchestra. They were signed after having appeared at the Apollo in April, giving that theater the biggest box-office it had had in a year. They went from there to another 2-week stint, this time at Chicago's Blue Note, in the Loop. The Strand show was reviewed in the May 12 issue of Billboard:

On the subject of royalties, always a sticky affair, Sonny had this to say:

However, when the time came to renew their Jubilee contract, the Orioles signed on the dotted lines. The July 28, 1951 Chicago Defender reported:

The Defender was somewhat late with this item, since the trades had reported it back in April, when the actual signing had taken place.

Just a few days before that, on July 24, 1951, the Orioles had recorded three more songs: "I'm Just A Fool In Love," "Barfly," and "Hold Me! Squeeze Me! (Hold Me Tight)." Jubilee coupled the first and third of these for an August release. Also released in August was the first of the Sonny Til solo records: "My Prayer"/"I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody)."

On August 16, the Orioles opened for 4 days at the Farm Dell in Dayton, Ohio. From there it was off to Gleason's, in Cleveland, for a week.

"I'm Just A Fool In Love" and "Hold Me! Squeeze Me! (Hold Me Tight)" were reviewed by Billboard on September 8:

Sonny's "My Prayer"/"I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody)" received good notices that same week.

Billboard kept reporting deals that Jerry Blaine was making, although none of them ever seems to have materialized. In July 1951, he was reported to be selling the Jubilee line to Atlantic. September 1953 found him on the brink of marketing the National catalog through Jubilee. Finally, in August 1955, he reportedly sold out to a syndicate. (Jubilee was ultimately sold, years later, to Roulette records.)

The next Orioles session was held on September 6, 1951. The three songs recorded that day were the old blues, "Baby, Please Don't Go," "Don't Tell Her What's Happened To Me," and "I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful)." A few days later, on the 14th, they opened at the Apollo Theater, along with the Johnny Hodges Orchestra. Remember that Hodges was the first one to record a part of the tune from "Night Train," and the Orioles had done another piece with "Happy Go Lucky Local Blues." While "Night Train" itself was several months away, it was probably an interesting show. Later in the month, on September 21, Sonny recorded four solos: "Fool's World," "You Never Cared For Me," "For All We Know," and "Blame It On Yourself."

In October 1951, Jubilee released "Don't Tell Her What's Happened To Me," backed with "Baby, Please Don't Go." The latter song had been written and recorded by Joe Lee Williams back in 1942. It had spawned (or would spawn) versions by Lightnin' Hopkins, Leroy Dallas, Billy Valentine, Billy Wright, Muddy Waters, and Rose Mitchell, as well as the Orioles. It found its way onto the R&B charts, for two weeks, peaking at #8.

Also in October, two more of Sonny's solos were issued: "Fool's World"/"For All We Know." They were reviewed the week of November 17, with "For All We Know" receiving a "good" rating, but "Fool's World" coming up only "fair." But the real money was in appearances, and October 17 found the Orioles and Amos Milburn kicking off a package tour of the midwest.

The next Orioles' session was held on November 28, 1951. The four songs recorded were: "How Blind Can You Be," "When You're Not Around," "Waiting," and "My Loved One." The first two of these were paired for a December release.

George Nelson had a drinking problem, and occasionally didn't make a recording session. Since a trademark of the Orioles was George singing the second bridge, Sonny said that anytime he's not heard, he wasn't at the session. When he didn't show up, Ralph Williams sang the fourth part.

Special thanks to Steve Applebaum, to Tony Barcia (for digging up reviews from the trade papers), and to Ferdie Gonzalez (for his discographical work).