They say “Music makes you smile!””Music makes the world go around!” and “Music is the soundtrack of your life” When we hear a familiar song, one that has been a part of our life for years, it’s almost impossible not to sing along. We know the words, the tune, and the orchestration of the arrangement and without thinking sing along with a smile on our face.
A big part of American culture is the singing group. The blending of voices in beautiful harmony, be it a trio, quartet, chorus, or the Mormon Tabernacle choir, is a pleasure afforded human ears that few would disdain. Probably, the most popular of singing groups is the quartet, far more often composed of four male voices. Female quartets exist, but this area seems to be male dominated.
When I think of quartets I limit them to groups of four men who sing four-part harmony. These artists just sing. They don’t play guitar, play a piano, or have one dominant voice who is the lead singer. Groups that play their own musical accompaniment, fall into the category of a band. Quartets like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, or the Beach Boys (not a quartet) all sing, but are bands because they all play an instrument. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons isn’t a true quartet because Valli was the lead singer and the others merely “Doo Wopped!”
Of course, my musical era was the 60’s and 70’s so my favorite groups were popular in those decades. A few of the quartets on my best list weren’t actual favorites of mine but are included because their popularity was significant with certain segments of the population. Those quartets are The Mills Brothers, The Statler Brothers, The Ink Spots, and The Oak Ridge Boys.
The Mills Brothers, Donald, Herbert, Harry and John, were from Piqua, Ohio, and first sang in the local African Methodist Episcopal Church. Their career took off in 1928. By 1930, CBS radio had discovered their talents and gave them their own national network show, the first black artists to be so honored. They had hits with “Up a Lazy River,” “Ole Rockin’ Chair,” and “Bye Bye Blackbird.” They celebrated 50 years performing together in 1976. Their children and others have continued their performing legacy.
The Ink Spots gained international fame in the 1930’s and ‘40’s with rhythm and blues and a rock and roll slant that gave them early “Doo Wop” status. In 1954 they disbanded, but still made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Their big hit was “If I Didn’t Care.” They didn’t have the popularity of the Mills Brothers, but certainly had a presence in their genre.
The Statler Brothers, now called The Statlers, and The Oak Ridge Boys are the country music genre entries in this sweepstakes. They have both been performing for as long as I can remember, and their popularity is largely among old school country music fans. I can’t name a hit song by the Statlers, and the only Oak Ridge Boys hit I know is “Elvira”—“oom papa oom papa oom papa mau mau” These quartets are groups with sustained niche popularity.
Now, we get to the mainstream quartets—or at least they are mainstream in my world. These are quartets who had several big hits during my high school and college years. These quartets are the “Fours,” the Four Lads, the Four Preps, The Four Tops, and The Four Freshmen. The Four Freshmen were a bit before my time, but their unique sound has lived on for decades. A modern version of the original group is still actively performing. The Preps, Lads, and Tops were big during the years I mentioned and beyond.
The Four Lads big hits were “Standing on the Corner,” “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)’” and “No, Not Much.” They had a distinctive sound that was accented by the high notes of the tenor in songs like “Moments to Remember.”
The Four Preps was a California group whose biggest hit was “26 Miles (Santa Catalina).” They also were successful with “I was a Big Man Yesterday.”
The Four Tops was a Motown group who had a slew of hits: “Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” “It’s the Same Old Song,” and “Baby I Need Your Lovin’.” They were one of the bigger quartets of their era.
Last, but not least, I’m breaking my rule by naming the Temptations as a top singing group. They aren’t a quartet but rather a quintet that has been in the limelight since 1960 when Otis Williams (alive at age 85) founded the group. Their music has lived for the decades since, especially their best known song,”My Girl!” “I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day, when it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May. I guess you’d say, what can make me feel this way? My Girl, Talkin’ “bout My Girl!” Classic lyrics no one forgets. Then there’s “Cloud Nine,” “Papa was a rollin’ stone,” and the upbeat “Ain’t too proud to beg,” sweet darlin’.
In 1963, on a whim, several fraternity brothers and I attended “The Motown Revue,” a traveling show of the Motor City’s best and most popular musical talent, at the Circle theater in Indianapolis. Featured in that show were Little Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Platters, and the Temptations. There probably were others like the Supremes, but that was a long time ago, and I don’t remember. Just the fact that at age 19 or 20, I was witnessing some of the greatest talent ever assembled is amazing, and at the time, I was unaware how lucky I was to be there. Were it not for Chuck Thomas and Agris Petersens I would not have gone.
Musical quartets don’t exist much these days unless, like today’s Four Freshmen, someone has bought the rights to the name and music and continues to tour as the group and reprises their music. The things you do that you don’t realize at the time are major events that only much later do you appreciate. “The Motown Revue” was one of those situations.
References: www.google.com/top-quartets-of-all-time.
www.google.com/4-lads, 4-tops, 4-preps, the-temptations, 4-freshman, mills-bros, Statler-Bros , Oak-ridge-boys, the-ink-spots.
