The Four Knights

Best-known for their smooth pop ballad recordings, the Four Knights were equally at home lending their polished vocal harmonies to gospel songs as well. The group's career spanned almost two decades, from the early '40s through the early '60s, including a substantial amount of recordings, with over 40 commercial singles and three LPs to their credit. The group formed in 1943 in Charlotte, NC, and consisted of Gene Alford (lead tenor), Oscar Broadway (bass), Clarence Dixon (baritone), and John Wallace (tenor and guitar). This configuration would be retained through most of the group's career. Initially the group formed not as a strictly pop group, but rather as a jubilee quartet performing a mix of gospel and secular material. They were first known as the Southland Jubilee Singers. They made their professional debut singing for radio station WSOC, a Charlotte NBC subsidiary, in 1944. Before long they had secured a featured spot on rival CBS station WBT's "Carolina Hayride" program. This feat was a testimony to their prowess as a vocal quartet, as they were carrying the torch previously born by the Southern Sons and the renowned Golden Gate Quartet. Their first recordings were for the Langworth Record Company, who also took them under their managerial wing. Langworth produced specialty recordings know as transcription discs. These discs were, in fact, mini-albums comprised of 4-6 songs each. They were not sold to the general public, but were marketed to radio stations around the country. This would enable a DJ to program a show around a group, creating the illusion that the group was actually performing live at the station. The first Langworth sessions date from May of 1945. Over 30 traditional gospel tunes were recorded for Langworth as well as some 40-plus secular...