 |
| Knoxville's Silvertone Singers featuring Claude Jeter would evolve into the hugely influential gospel crew, The Swan Silvertones. |
From the Antique 78rpm Record Shop...
Founded in 1938 as the Four Harmony Kings in Coalwood, West Virginia, by coal miner Claude Jeter, the group later moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, took on a daily radio sponsorship from Swan Bakery, and rebranded as Swan’s Silvertone Singers. By 1948, during their early tenure with Cincinnati-based King Records (signed in 1946), the ensemble was crafting a smooth, influential sound that merged traditional barbershop harmonies with the soaring, virtuosic gospel lead of Jeter—releasing foundational 78-rpm singles like "I Want to Dig a Little Deeper", "In That Upper Room", and "I've Tried". These early King recordings laid the blueprint for traditional jubilee gospel and directly inspired a generation of R&B, soul, and rock pioneers, including Paul Simon (who borrowed Jeter's lyrical imagery for "Bridge Over Troubled Water") and Sam Cooke.
Listen to "I Want To Dig A Little Deeper" (composed by Kenneth Morris) on King from 1948 right here.
Read more about Rev. Claude Jeter and the Swan Silvertones right here.
No comments:
Post a Comment