The Four Knights

The Four Knights were a fantastic vocal group from Charlotte, North Carolina that enjoyed some national success in the late 1940's and throughout 1950's.  The original lineup included: Gene Alford, Oscar Broadway, Clarence Dixon and John Wallace.  They formed the group in 1943 under the name The Southland Jubilee Singers.  By 1944, they were receiving regional exposure on a radio program called Carolina Hayride.  They also appeared on a handful of transcription discs for Lang-Worth Records and at that point decided to change their name to The Four Knights.

In 1948, The Four Knights caught their big break as a regular appearing act on The Red Skelton Show (Raleigh Cigarettes Program).  This gig gave them the national exposure they needed and they became a popular fixture on the show.  They performed on the Red Skelton Show for over two years and many of the songs that you hear on Swing City Radio is from that library of music performances.

Listen to: "Sugarfoot Rag" by The Four Knights from April of 1950

Sadly, in late 1950 the Red Skelton Show parted ways with The Four Knights due to a contract dispute.  The group then fired their manager because they now had lost their national exposure.  A couple of years later, with new representation, the group renewed their contract with Skelton for his new TV Show.

The Four Knights eventually went on to have a major hit in 1954 called "I Get So Lonely When I Dream About You (Oh Baby Mine)" which awarded them a gold record for selling over a million copies worldwide.  They recorded many songs that appeared on the charts throughout the 1950's, but as the 1960's rolled in, music styles were changing, and soon the Four Knights fizzled out.  The group officially disbanded in 1966. 

Their music has been compared to the Mills Brothers and Ink Spots by some.  I feel they had a much fuller sound that could really swing at times.  The songs they performed on The Red Skelton Show are a great example of that.  The music really had a good groove to it. Especially the songs where the house orchestra led by David Rose provided accompaniment.

Read More

Skeets Tolbert and His Gentlemen of Swing

Skeets Tolbert played clarinet and saxophone, he was also a vocalist and bandleader. His nickname "Skeets" was short for "Mosquito."  Not sure why. But it stuck with him throughout his life. He composed and arranged a great number of tunes that would become hits for others, including names like Nat King Cole, Count Basie and Louis Jordan.

Skeets joined "Taylor's Dixieland Serenaders" in 1929, where he had his first known recording in 1931, as a vocalist and on alto sax. In 1934, he moved on to play with Charlie Alexander before joining the house band at the New York night club, The Savoy Ballroom.

In 1936 he played alto sax along side the legendary Fats Waller. The time he spent with Waller ended up being highly influential on Tolbert's writing and arranging style.

Something I was surprised to learn was that in 1937, Skeets played in a band with famed Olympic Athlete, Jesse Owens.  I had no idea Jesse Owens was a musician.

In 1939, Skeets formed his own band and recorded under the name "Tolbert's Gentlemen of Swing." Babe Hines and Yack Taylor were featured female vocalists. He rarely used a single male lead vocal in his music. He also used elements of vaudeville in many of his songs along with darker lyrics. None of his songs ever charted or became standards but were intended for dancing in nightclubs and living rooms. He recorded with this band on the Decca Records label.

Tolbert also filmed his share of Soundies. In 1944, the band recorded four Soundies of the tunes "No No Baby", "'Tis You Babe", "Blitzkrieg Bombardier", and "Corn Pone."  Skeets eventually left the music business by the late 40's to pursue a career of teaching and lived to be 91 years old.

Watch: "Blitzkrieg Bombardier" by Skeets Tolbert and His Gentlemen of Swing from 1944

You can hear "Skeets Tolbert and His Gentlemen of Swing" right here on Swing City Radio.

Read More