Back in 1947, while Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were pioneering bebop, another jazz group was developing a different style of music that would have a lasting impact on American music in the three decades that followed. The group was comprised of four black vocalists, and as The Ravens they recorded singles that wound up inspiring Doo-wop groups in the '50s, soul ensembles of the '60s, and the Philadelphia and Detroit disco sound of the '70s.
Black vocal groups were nothing new when The Ravens began recording for National Records in 1947. The Mills Brothers, The Charioteers, the Ink Spots and the Delta Rhythm Boys all had famously harmonized on 78-rpms and in movie shorts. The big difference was in the phrasing. The earlier groups were largely swing and gospel ensembles that were marketed to white audiences. The Ravens, by contrast, had a hipper sound, with an emphasis on romantic ballads aimed at the black market.
As with Parker and Gillespie, The Ravens were possible on record only because of the American Federation of Musicians' recording ban of 1942-44. When the AFM decided to prohibit its members from recording in August 1942, there were three major record companies–RCA, Columbia and Decca. A year later, cash-strapped Decca threw in the towel and signed with the AFM. By capitulating, Decca agreed to pay a royalty on record sales to a union retirement fund. RCA and Columbia continued to refuse to sign, fully expecting the federal government to step in and force the musicians back to work during the war years.
But Washington never rode to the labels' rescue, and at the end of 1944, RCA and Columbia finally took the same deal as Decca. But by then, hundreds of smaller labels had emerged to fill the vacuum left by the sidelined majors. The trend continued as Decca made its transcription recording studios available to micro-labels, ushering in the age of the independent record company.
National Records was one of those upstarts. Founded in 1945 in New York, the company went on to record many jazz and R&B artists, including Big Joe Turner, Billy Eckstine, Eileen Barton and Jackie Paris. The label lasted until 1951, when it was leased by Mercury. Then Savoy purchased National later in the decade.
But back to The Ravens. The vocal group was formed in 1945, largely inspired by the Ink Spots. But rather than fashion themselves as mainstream entertainers, The Ravens' records were positioned as slow-dance, make-out music for black record buyers. In addition to recording ballads with rich harmonies, The Ravens also hipped up standards, with the group's different voice parts coming in and out—at times the bass for emphasis and at other times the falsetto for passion.
The Ravens also were famous for their song endings, which featured strong tags with soaring, complex harmonies. They even were paired with Dinah Washington in 1951, after Mercury acquired the label and its artists.
Naturally, The Ravens soon found themselves competing with a long string of copy-cat groups. After The Ravens hit with a series of strong R&B singles, including Old Man River, September Song and There Is No You (all from 1947) and Count Every Star (1950)—other "bird" groups were formed. The winged list includes The Orioles, The Crows, The Swallows, The Swans and The Wrens.
As the 1950s progressed, The Ravens' harmony-heavy style and a romantic approach was copied over and over again by non-bird groups, eventually leading to Doo-wop streetcorner harmony groups like the Channels and the Jesters in the '50s, Motown groups in the '60s, and soul-disco vocal groups such as Tavares, The Trammps and The Originals in the '70s.
In post-war American music history, The Ravens' National recordings represent a little-known turning point. The vocal group not only marked the end of black vocal groups packaged solely for white audiences but also represented the gateway to modern black vocal R&B. Best of all, their recordings are as hip today as they were back in the late '40s and early '50s.
JazzWax tracks: The best set from this period is The Ravens: Their Complete National Recordings 1947-1950 (Savoy Jazz). The remastered three-disc set is out of print, but several sellers are offering it at reasonable prices. In addition, it's available as a download. Both are here.
JazzWax note: To hear tracks by The Ravens, dig the Vocal Group Harmony site here.
JazzWax clips: The Ravens' Count Every Star represents a major turning point in R&B history. With this one single, The Ravens transformed harmony from a novelty act into an R&B experience to be enjoyed by couples parked in cars at hillside overlooks. Here are The Ravens singing Count Every Star...
Here's The Ravens' There Is No You from 1947. Dig the ending tag...
Here's The Ravens with Dinah Washington in 1951 for Mercury singing Out in the Cold Again.