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The Four Tunes (also referred to as The 4 Tunes) were a leading black pop vocal quartet during the 1950s. [1] The members at the peak of their fame were Pat Best, Jimmy Gordon, Jimmie Nabbie, and Danny Owens.
The group originated from The Brown Dots, a quartet started in New York City by Ivory "Deek" Watson (born July 18, 1909, Mounds, Illinois – died November 4, 1969, Washington, DC) after he split from the Ink Spots in late 1944. [1] The other original members were William Henry "Pat" Best (baritone and guitar) (born June 6, 1923, Wilmington, North Carolina – died October 14, 2004, Roseville, California), [2] Joe King (tenor), and Jimmy Gordon (bass). [1]
Best and Watson were co-credited with the song "For Sentimental Reasons", which became The Brown Dots' first single. Later it became a 1946 hit for Nat King Cole and was recorded by many other artists. Soon afterwards, King was replaced by Jimmie Nabbie (tenor) and, in late 1946, Nabbie, Best, and Gordon recruited Danny Owens to replace Watson. They called themselves The Sentimentalists (after "For Sentimental Reasons") and started recording for Manor, backing Savannah Churchill on her 1947 No. 1 US Billboard R&B chart hit, "I Want to Be Loved (But Only by You)", [1] and also on her 1948 releases "Time Out for Tears" and "I Want to Cry".
After bandleader Tommy Dorsey asked them to stop calling themselves the Sentimentalists, also the name of his vocal group, they changed their name to The Four Tunes. Nabbie later stated that the name was derived from the fact that all they had left were four tunes that they had not yet recorded. Manor reissued all their Sentimentalists recordings as by the Four Tunes.
They continued recording for Manor until early in 1949, when they switched over to RCA Victor, [1] where they had 18 records released between May 1949 and November 1953. They then switched to Jerry Blaine's Jubilee label, where they achieved their greatest popularity. [1] Their first Jubilee recording, "Marie" was released in September, and reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart (No. 13 Pop). [1] It sold one million copies. [3] This Irving Berlin tune had been a No. 1 hit for Tommy Dorsey (with Jack Leonard on vocal) in 1937, and was later a hit for Irish group The Bachelors.
The Four Tunes' next Jubilee release, "I Understand (Just How You Feel)" was a bigger hit, climbing to No. 7 R&B, and No. 6 on the pop chart. [1] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. [3] By this time, the group had leaned closer to rhythm & blues and now had swung back to pop. The group played the black theater circuit and also many white clubs. When they were on a tour with pop singer Joni James, she asked Jimmie Nabbie to write a song for her. The result, "You Are My Love", was her big hit of 1955 (which the Four Tunes covered). In late 1959, there were two releases on Crosby (a Las Vegas label that Jimmie Nabbie partly owned). Then, there was a single release on Robin's Nest (as the "Four Tunes And One") in 1962.
After 18 years with the group, Nabbie left in 1963, to become a soloist (in 1965, he joined an Ink Spots group to come full circle; he would remain with them until his death); Danny Owens left about the same time. Billy Wells was tapped to fill Nabbie's place and tenor Gaines Steele was brought in to replace Owens. In the mid 1960s, Frank Dawes (tenor and piano) was also brought on board, as a utility singer. The recording career of the 4 Tunes wound down with an LP on the ARA label in 1969 (which contained versions of "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons," but also "Whole Lot Of Shaking Going On"). The personnel were: Pat Best, Jimmy Gordon, Billy Wells, Frank Dawes, and Chuck Hampton (drums and vocals).
The group kept going throughout subsequent decades, although Wells left in the 1980s for medical reasons and was replaced by Andre Williams, who in turn made way for Rufus McKay. Pat Best and Jimmy Gordon finally wound the group up in the late 1990s.
Jimmie Nabbie died after double bypass surgery on September 15, 1992, [4] and Pat Best died on October 14, 2004, at the age of 81. [5]
The Four Tunes were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.
The Ink Spots were an American vocal jazz group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely accepted in both the white and black communities, largely due to the ballad style introduced to the group by lead singer Bill Kenny.
Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His theme song was "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey. After Dorsey broke with his brother in the mid-1930s, he led an extremely popular and highly successful band from the late 1930s into the 1950s. He is best remembered for standards such as "Opus One", "Song of India", "Marie", "On Treasure Island", and his biggest hit single, "I'll Never Smile Again".
The Turbans were an American doo-wop vocal group that formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1953. The original members were: Al Banks, Matthew Platt, Charlie Williams (baritone), and Andrew "Chet" Jones (bass). They came from Downtown Philadelphia.
Manor Records was a jazz record label founded in the mid 1940s. Manor was run Irving Berman, who also owned Regis Records. Its catalogue included Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Tiny Bradshaw, Paul Bascomb, Sid Catlett, Jimmie Lunceford, and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.
The Four Lads is a Canadian male singing quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group earned many gold singles and albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Moments to Remember," "Standing on the Corner," "No, Not Much," "Who Needs You?" and "Istanbul."
The Skyliners are an American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh. The original lineup was: Jimmy Beaumont (lead), Janet Vogel (soprano), Wally Lester (tenor), Jackie Taylor, Joe Verscharen (baritone). The Skyliners were best known for their 1958 hit, "Since I Don't Have You".
The Brown Dots were an American vocal group initially formed in late 1944, when second tenor Ivory "Deek" Watson left the Ink Spots. He immediately put together a competing Ink Spots group consisting of lead tenor Joe King, bass Jimmy Gordon, and an unknown baritone. By late January 1945, a lawsuit brought by the Ink Spots caused Deek Watson to claim that he would form a new group based on a "completely new idea". This new idea was simply to change their name to the Brown Dots and to sound as much like the Ink Spots as possible. At this time, the unknown baritone left, to be replaced by baritone/guitarist William "Pat" Best.
The Ravens were an American R&B vocal group, formed in 1946 by Jimmy Ricks and Warren Suttles. They were one of the most successful and most influential vocal quartets of the period, and had several hits on the R&B chart in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Melvin James "Sy" Oliver was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader.
"Blueberry Hill" is a popular song published in 1940, best remembered for its 1950s rock and roll version by Fats Domino. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Larry Stock and Al Lewis. It was recorded six times in 1940. Victor Records released the recording by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra with vocals by Tommy Ryan on May 31, 1940. Gene Krupa's version was issued on OKeh Records on June 3 and singer Mary Small recorded a vocal version on the same label with Nat Brandwynne's orchestra, released June 20, 1940. Other 1940 recordings were by: the Glenn Miller Orchestra on Bluebird Records (10768), Kay Kyser, Russ Morgan, Gene Autry, Connee Boswell, and Jimmy Dorsey. The largest 1940 hit was by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which reached #2 on the US charts.
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many changes for the band in membership and musical styles over the years. They would go on to win four Grammys, 15 Dove Awards and be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Jackie Ward, better known as Robin Ward, is an American singer, regarded as a "one-hit wonder" of 1963 million-selling song "Wonderful Summer". However, using her real name she was highly accomplished and successful singing in groups. Ward's voice is heard in U.S. television series, motion pictures, advertisements, and pop records. She is one of the real singers of the hits attributed to The Partridge Family.
Ruby & the Romantics were an Akron, Ohio-based American R&B group in the 1960s. The group had several pop and R&B hit records, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1963 with their first recording, "Our Day Will Come". The song, written by Mort Garson and Bob Hilliard, was a worldwide hit, reaching No. 1 and selling over one million copies in the US, also topped the Billboard R&B chart at # 1, and peaked at #38 in the UK Singles Chart. It also reached No. 11 on the Australian Charts.
The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet that rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with 16 Billboard hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville (lead), Ted Kowalski (tenor), Phil Levitt (baritone), and Bill Reed (bass). They were most noted for interpreting and introducing rhythm and blues vocal group music to the wider pop music audience. Contrary to a popular myth, the father of Tom Hanks was never a member of the group.
Anita Jean Grilli, known professionally as Anita Kerr, is an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and Europe.
The Danleers were an American doo-wop group formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1958. The group's original and most famous lineup consisted of Jimmy Weston, Johnny Lee, Willie Ephraim, Nat McCune, and Roosevelt Mays. One of many streetcorner vocal groups in Brooklyn, they rose to prominence in 1958 on the strength of the single "One Summer Night", written by their manager, Danny Webb, who also named the group. The single was one of the biggest hits of that year and sold over one million copies. Further releases were not so successful and the group mostly dissolved by the mid-1960s. It continued to tour for several decades with Weston as the main original member.
Savannah Churchill was an American rhythm and blues singer in the 1940s and 1950s. She is best known for her number-one R&B single "I Want To Be Loved ."
"(I Love You) for Sentimental Reasons" is a popular song written by Ivory "Deek" Watson, founding member of the Ink Spots, also founding member of The Brown Dots and William "Pat" Best, founding member of the Four Tunes.
"The Honeydripper " is an R&B song by Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers which topped the US Billboard R&B chart for 18 weeks, from September 1945 to January 1946.
The Delltones were an Australian rock 'n' roll band, which formed in 1958. They started as a doo-wop, harmony quartet with Warren Lucas, Brian Perkins, Noel Widerberg and Ian "Peewee" Wilson. In June 1962 Noel Widerberg died in a car accident in Brighton-le-Sands in Sydney, and three weeks later the group's single, "Get a Little Dirt on Your Hands", reached the top five on the local charts. Widerberg's position was filled by Col Loughnan. The group disbanded in 1973.
