The Jubalaires


The Jubalaires were an American gospel group active between 1935 and 1961. Originally known as the Royal Harmony Singers, the band was known for song verses delivered in a rhythmic, rhyming style that has been described as an early version of rapping.

History

The band's name was derived from Jubal, a biblical figure in Genesis who is sometimes regarded as "the father of all harpists and organists."
The band reached no. 10 on the R&B charts on November 14, 1942, with "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" a song adapted from the speech of a naval chaplain in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor the previous year. Other releases included "Before This Time Another Year" / "Ezekiel ", "God Almighty's Gonna Cut You Down" / "Go Down Moses", and "My God Called Me This Morning" / "Ring That Golden Bell".
The band recorded with Andy Kirk on November 27, 1945, a session which produced the Decca Records 78rpm release "I Know" / "Get Together with the Lord" credited to Andy Kirk & His Orchestra with the Jubalaires. A third track recorded during the session, "Soothe Me", went unreleased.
In 1946, the Jubalaires secured a spot on Arthur Godfrey's CBS radio show. Willie Johnson left the Golden Gate Quartet to take the lead of the group in 1948, and in 1950 the band appeared in the musical comedy film Duchess of Idaho.
In the December 15, 1951, issue, Billboard praised the group's performance on the release "David and Goliath" / "I've Done My Work". The band's recording of "Dreaming of the Ladies in the Moon" attracted the praise of Billboard magazine, which gave the record a mark of 78/100 in the April 17, 1954, issue, commenting that "The boys here come thru with a strong reading on a bright ballad with an evocative flavor." The reviewer compared the Jubalaires' treatment of the song with the style of the Mills Brothers and predicted it could become a break-out hit.
Most of the music by the Jubalaires was released by Queen Records, a King Records subsidiary specializing in African-American music. However, later reissues of their music appeared under King Records.

Band members

Original members
Other members