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Groupe Country US formé en 1943 et comprenant
Grandpa Jones,
Merle Travis,
Alton Delmore et
Rabon Delmore. Autres membres :
Red Foley, Clyde Moody, Red Turner, Zeke
Turner et Dolly Good, Rome Johnson,
Roy Langham, Wayne Raney et
Lonnie Glosson.
Based on
their lineup alone, Brown's Ferry Four was a country supergroup from the get-go,
with an original membership consisting of
Grandpa Jones,
the Delmore Brothers, and
Merle Travis Though the group only
existed for ten years, and almost never made any personal appearances or gave
any concerts, they managed to become one of the most beloved country gospel
groups through their radio broadcasts and the nearly four dozen sides they
recorded for King Records between 1946 and 1952. What makes them even more
extraordinary for listeners in the 21st century — even veteran country music
hands — is that their main virtue was their singing;
the Delmores, of course, were well
known for their harmonies, but neither Grandpa Jones
nor Merle Travis was primarily known for
his singing, except in the context of the Brown's Ferry Four. Complicating any
account of their history, however, is the fact that thanks to the way they were
put together legally, there were several versions of Brown's Ferry Four, and at
least two could exist simultaneously; as they were almost exclusively a
broadcasting and recording group, few listeners could keep track of the
personnel changes.The group's origins go back to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1943, when
a group called the Drifting Pioneers departed radio station WLW, leaving the
station manager with a half-hour hole in his schedule that needed filling.
Guitarist/singer Alton Delmore put
together a quartet consisting of his guitarist/singer brother
Rabon Delmore, banjo man/singer
Grandpa Jones, and guitar virtuoso
Merle Travis, all of whom had been
playing in separate groups at the time. After a few dry runs and an agreement on
some kind of repertory, they went on the air the next day, choosing the name
from one of the Delmore Brothers' old
songs at the suggestion of Merle Travis.
The group's repertory consisted almost exclusively of gospel music, but within
that context they were far more expansive than most of the white singing groups
in that field at the time — with Alton
and Rabon's guidance, they learned the
basics of white gospel singing, especially shaped-note singing, but in order to
add some range and diversity to their programs (which had to fill 30 minutes of
airtime), they decided to do black gospel numbers (what were then called Negro
spirituals) as well. This separated them from most of the competition and led to
an unexpected area of musical activity for the group, wholly by accident.It was
while acquiring black gospel records at a record store in Cincinnati that they
made one of the most important contacts in their history, with the shop's owner,
Syd Nathan. Over the ensuing three years, Brown's Ferry Four became one of the
top white country gospel groups in the country, all through their radio
broadcasts out of Cincinnati. Their reputation grew despite three of the four
members' departures for military service within six months of their first
performance — Travis joined the United
States Marine Corps, Alton Delmore went
into the United States Navy, and Jones
joined the United States Army, but the quartet went on. The radio station owned
the name and kept the Brown's Ferry Four alive by recruiting other members for
the duration of the war, whose broadcasts were more than good enough to maintain
their audience. And as a result, the Brown's Ferry Four remained popular enough
from 1943 through 1945 to hold the interest of Syd Nathan, who had founded King
Records as the war was coming to its end. The reunion of the original lineup
actually took place on an ad hoc basis —
Grandpa Jones and
the Delmores were all signed to King
and had been flown out to California for recording sessions in the final week of
March of 1946, and Travis was one of the
session players for Jones' sides. A
light bulb went off in Nathan's head as he realized he had the original Brown's
Ferry Four there together, and a session was scheduled for March 25, 1946. The
two sides, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" b/w "Just a Little Talk with Jesus,"
with Alton Delmore singing lead while
Rabon Delmore handled the tenor Vocals,
Jones sang baritone, and
Travis took the bass Vocals part. Both
sides were extraordinary in their deceptively light textures, juxtaposed with
the quiet musical and Vocals virtuosity of the quartet, and the 78 rpm release
was an instant hit.In September of 1946, sensing a potential gold mine in their
records, Nathan had the Brown's Ferry Four record a dozen sides at their next
session, in October of that year. The results were extraordinary, a dozen sides,
all superb, and some of the most affecting white gospel music ever recorded.
These included recordings of classic numbers such as "Everybody Will Be Happy
(Over There)," several originals by Alton
Delmore, and one number credited to (but not actually written by)
Grandpa Jones. These yielded a
bumper-crop of popular country gospel singles, and portended continued success
for the quartet. By the time they'd regrouped for their next session in the fall
of 1947, however, a complication ensued over
Merle Travis — Nathan was working out of Chicago by then, but the guitarist/singer
was living in California and not all that willing to leave for the sessions;
further complicating matters, he was signed to Capitol Records under exclusive
contract. Luckily, Red Foley, who was
present at the sessions to play upright bass, volunteered to sing
Travis' bass part, and 13 songs were
recorded with this modified lineup. A broadcast version of the Brown's Ferry
Four continued to appear regularly on WLW, but the recording group's next
sessions didn't take place until 1951, owing to the 1948 recording ban ordered
by the American Federation of Musicians, coupled with the various obligations of
the individual members — when they did re-form in 1951, it was with Red Turner,
part of the broadcast version of the group, filling the bass spot. By 1952, the
core of the group — Jones and
the Delmores — were working
intermittently with an undesignated fourth man, and in the summer of that year,
it was the Delmores with Clyde Moody
and an unnamed fourth performer. The group's final session took place in the
final week of August of 1952, and featured
the Delmores, Jones, and Red
Turner. The group was popular enough that they might have lasted well into the
'50s, but Rabon Delmore's death from
cancer late in 1952 ended the existence of the quartet.
Alton Delmore tried reviving the name
in the mid-'50s but the recordings never sold and the moment had passed —
Grandpa Jones was slightly more
successful at reviving the group's repertory for his mid-'60s Monument Records
album Grandpa Jones Remembers the Brown's Ferry Four, and he subsequently
honored the group's style when he helped form the Hee Haw Gospel Quartet, an
outgrowth of the television show Hee Haw, in the following decade. In
1997, King Records released a double-CD, 44-song set entitled Rockin' on the
Waves, covering the group's complete sides from 1946 through 1952.
Style musical : Gospel, Bluegrass
WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN (1946)
Rockin' On
The Waves (1946)
I'LL FLY AWAY (1949)
On The Jericho Road (1950)
HEAVEN ETERNAL FOR ME (1952)
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Years in activity :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
DISCOGRAPHY
78 t. & EP
| 05/1946 | 78 t. KING 530 (US) | . |
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
/ Just A Little Talk With Jesus |
| 10/1946 | 78 t. KING 577 (US) | . |
Rockin' On
The Waves
/ If We Never Meet Again |
| 12/1946 | 78 t. KING 593 (US) | . | Old Camp Meeting / There's A Light Guiding Me |
| 06/1947 | 78 t. KING 631 (US) | . | Everybody Will Be Happy / The Lord Is Watching |
| 10/1947 | 78 t. KING 662 (US) | . | Salvation Has Been Brought Down / When The Good Lord Cares |
| 04/1948 | 78 t. KING 700 (US) | . | Keep On The Firing Line / Rock Of Ages Hide Thou Me |
| 01/1949 | 78 t. KING 750 (US) | . | Hallelujah Morning / When He Blessed My Soul |
| 01/1949 | SP KING 45-750 (US) | . | Hallelujah Morning / When He Blessed My Soul |
| 03/1949 | 78 t. KING 760 (US) | . | I've Got Old Time Religion / His Boundless Love |
| 03/1949 | SP KING 45-760 (US) | . | I've Got Old Time Religion / His Boundless Love |
| 06/1949 | 78 t. KING 785 (US) | . |
I'll Fly Away
/ I've Made A Covenant |
| 06/1949 | SP KING 45-785 (US) | . |
I'll Fly Away
/ I've Made A Covenant |
| 08/1949 | 78 t. KING 799 (US) | . | After The Sunrise / Over In Glory Land |
| 08/1949 | SP KING 45-799 (US) | . | After The Sunrise / Over In Glory Land |
| 01/1950 | 78 t. KING 832 (US) | . |
On The Jericho Road
/ I'm Naturalized For Heaven |
| 01/1950 | SP KING 45-832 (US) | . |
On The Jericho Road
/ I'm Naturalized For Heaven |
| 04/1950 | 78 t. KING 854 (US) | . | I'll Meet You In The Morning / Jesus Hold My Hand |
| 04/1950 | SP KING 45-854 (US) | . | I'll Meet You In The Morning / Jesus Hold My Hand |
| 05/1951 | SP KING 45-933 (US) | . | When He Calls His Reapers / When We Sing Around The Throne Eternal |
| 06/1951 | 78 t. KING 938 (US) | . | What Will You Be Doing Then / Romans 10 & 9 |
| 06/1951 | SP KING 45-938 (US) | . | What Will You Be Doing Then / Romans 10 & 9 |
| 03/1952 | 78 t. KING 1032 (US) | . |
Heaven Eternal For Me
/ I Am A Weary Pilgrim |
| 03/1952 | SP KING 45-1032 (US) | . |
Heaven Eternal For Me
/ I Am A Weary Pilgrim |
| 06/1952 | 78 t. KING 1059 (US) | . | There's A Page In The Bible / We Should Walk Together |
| 06/1952 | SP KING 45-1059 (US) | . | There's A Page In The Bible / We Should Walk Together |
| 08/1952 | SP KING 45-1086 (US) | . | Eternity Without Him / Bound For The Shore |
| 10/1952 | 78 t. KING 1114 (US) | . | Arms Of God / Can't You Hear Him Calling |
| 10/1952 | SP KING 45-1114 (US) | . | Arms Of God / Can't You Hear Him Calling |
| 12/1952 | 78 t. KING 1138 (US) | . | Clyde MOODY & The BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - I Need The Prayers / Through The Pearly Gates |
| 12/1952 | SP KING 45-1138 (US) | . | Clyde MOODY & The BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - I Need The Prayers / Through The Pearly Gates |
| 1953 | 78 t. KING 1153 (US) | . | You Must Be Born Again / Praise God, He Loves Everybody |
| 02/1953 | 78 t. KING 1177 (US) | . | Clyde MOODY & The BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - I Feel Like Travellin' On / Unclouded Day |
| 02/1953 | SP KING 45-1177 (US) | . | Clyde MOODY & The BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - I Feel Like Travellin' On / Unclouded Day |
| 06/1953 | 78 t. KING 1209 (US) | . | When The Redeemed Are Gathering In / What Shall I Do With Jesus |
| 06/1953 | SP KING 45-1209 (US) | . | When The Redeemed Are Gathering In / What Shall I Do With Jesus |
| 1956 | SP ACME 1110 (US) | . |
Alton Delmore & The Brown’s Ferry Four - The Davil Is Mounted / Gonna Rowe My Boat |
| 1957 | EP KING EP-237 (US) |
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VOL. 1 - If We Never Meet Again / Keep On The Firing Line / Old Camp Meeting / I’ve Made A Covenant With My Lord |
| 1957 | EP KING EP-238 (US) |
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VOL. 2 - Salvation Has Been Brought Down / There’s A Light Guiding Me / Rock Of Ages Hide Thou Me / The Lord Is Watching Over Me |
| 1958 | EP KING EP-320 (US) |
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VOL. 3 - SACRED SONGS -
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
/ Just A Little Talk With Jesus / Rockin’ On The Waves
/
I'll Fly Away
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Albums
| 1956 | LP 12" KING 551 (US) |
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SACRED SONGS - Rockin' On The Waves / I'll Fly Away / Salvation Has Been Brought Down / On The Jericho Road / I've Got That Old Time Religion In My Heart / After The Sunrise / I've Make A Covenant With My Lord / Rock Of Ages Hide Thou Me / His Boundless Love / Keep On The Firing Line / There's A Light Guiding Me / Old Camp Meeting | ||
| 1958 | LP 12" KING 590 (US) |
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SACRED SONGS, VOL. 2 - Will The Circle Be Unbroken / Just A Little Talk With Jesus / If We Never Meet Again / Lord Is Watching Over Me / Everybody Will Be Happy Over There / Hallelujah Morning / When The Good Lord Cares / Over In The Gloryland / When He Blessed My Soul / I'm Naturalized For Heaven / When He Calls His Reapers / Throne Eternal / I'll Meet You In The Morning / Jesus, Hold My Hand / We Should Walk Together / There's A Page In the Bible | ||
| 02/1963 | LP 12" KING 822 (US) |
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16 SACRED GOSPEL SONGS - GRANDPA JONES & BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - 144,000 Were There / The Arm Of God / Bound For The Shore / Can't You Hear Him Calling / Come And Dine / Dark As A Dungeon / Eternity Without Him / Get Back On The Glory Road / Heaven Eternal For Me / Jonah And The Whale / Light In His Soul / Our Fathers Had Religion / Praise God! He Loves Everybody / That Depot In The Sky / What Shall I Do With Jesus / You Must Be Born Again | ||
| 1965 | LP 12" KING 943 (US) |
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FINE SINGING OF WONDERFUL SACRED COUNTRY SONGS - 24 SONGS - Will The Circle Be Unbroken / Rock Of Ages Hide Thou Me / Over In The Glory Land / The Lord Is Watching / When The Good Lord Cares / Hallelujah Morning / Heaven Eternal For Me / Arm Of God / Bound For The Shore / Eternity Without Him / Can’t You Hear Him Calling / Through The Pearly Gates / Praise God! He Loves Everybody / You Must Be Born Again / What Shall I Do With Jesus / Everybody Will Be Happy / There’s A Light Guiding Me / Keep On The Firing Line / On The Jericho Road / His Boundless Love / When He Blessed My Soul / Jesus Hold My Hand / There’s A Page In The Bible / I’m A Weary Pilgrim | ||
| 1966 | LP 12" MONUMENT MLP-18041 (mono) / SLP-8041 (stereo) (US) |
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GRANDPA JONES REMEMBERS THE BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - On The Jericho Road / I'll Meet You In The Morning / When I Get To The End Of The Way / No Tears In Heaven / Gone Home / Turn Your Radio On / Keep On The Firing Line / Just Over In The Glory Land / Old Camp Meetin' Time / Empty Mansion / The Glory Land Way |
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| 1977 | 2 LP 12" CMH CMH-9007 (US) |
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THE
GRANDPA JONES STORY WITH RAMONA
& BROWN'S FERRY FOUR :
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| 1977 | LP 12" STARDAY / GUSTO SD-3017 (US) |
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16 GREATEST HITS OF THE BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - Over In The Gloryland / Heaven Eternal For Me / When The Redeemed Are Gathering In / You Must Be Born Again / What Shall I Do With Jesus / Praise God! He Loves Everybody / Arm Of God / Can't You Hear Him Calling / Everybody Will Be Happy Over There / Rock Of Ages Hide Thou Me / Lord Is Watching Over Me / When The Good Lord Cares / Eternity Without Him / Bound For The Shore / If We Never Meet Again / Will The Circle Be Unbroken | ||
| 1997 | CD STARDAY 3017 (US) |
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16 GREATEST HITS - Over In The Gloryland / Heaven Eternal For Me / When The Redeemed Are Gathering In / You Must Be Born Again / What Shall I Do With Jesus / Praise God! He Loves Everybody / Arm Of God / Can't You Hear Him Calling / Everybody Will Be Happy Over There / Rock Of Ages Hide Thou Me / Lord Is Watching Over Me / When The Good Lord Cares / Eternity Without Him / Bound For The Shore / If We Never Meet Again / Will The Circle Be Unbroken | ||
| 1997 | 2 CD STARDAY 3506 (US) |
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ROCKIN' ON THE WAVES : | ||
| 12/2003 | CD KING 551 (US) |
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16 Sacred Gospel Songs - GRANDPA JONES & BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - Come And Dine / Dark As A Dungeon / Our Fathers Had Religion / Jonah And The Whale / Light In His Soul / That Depot In The Sky / Get Back On The Glory Road / 144,000 Were There / The Arm Of God / Can't You Hear Him Calling / Eternity Without Him / Bound For The Shore / Heaven Eternal For Me / What Shall I Do With Jesus / Praise God! He Loves Everybody / You Must Be Born Again | ||
| 2005 | CD KING KG 0551-2 (US) |
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16 SACRED GOSPEL SONGS - GRANDPA JONES & BROWN'S FERRY FOUR - Come And Dine / Dark As A Dungeon / Our Fathers Had Religion / Jonah And The Whale / Light In His Soul / That Depot In The Sky / Get Back On The Glory Road / 144,000 Were There / The Arm Of God / Can't You Hear Him Calling / Eternity Without Him / Bound For The Shore / Heaven Eternal For Me / What Shall I Do With Jesus / Praise God! He Loves Everybody / You Must Be Born Again | ||
| 04/2008 | CD GUSTO 961 (US) |
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FINE SINGING OF WONDERFUL SACRED COUNTRY SONGS - 24 SONGS - Arm Of God / Bound For The Shore / Can't You Hear Him Calling / Eternity Without Him / Everybody Will Be Happy OverThere / Hallelujah Morning / Heaven, Eternal For Me / His Boundless Love / I Am A Weary Pilgrim / Jesus Hold My Hand / Keep On The Firing Line / Lord Is Watching Over Me / On The Jericho Road #1 / Over In The Glory Land / Praise God! He Loves Everybody / Rock Of Ages, Hide Thou Me / There's A Light Guiding Me / There's A Page In The Bible / Through The Pearly Gate / What Shall I Do With Jesus / When He Blessed My Soul / When The Good Lord Cares / Will The Circle Be Unbroken / You Must Be Born Again |
© Rocky Productions 28/05/2021
