The Larks

Not to be confused with Don Julian's Larks, his post-Meadowlarks trio (whose huge R&B hit in 1965 was "The Jerk"), or the Philadelphia-based soul group called the Larks, this group of Larks dates back to the early days of vocal music, with roots in gospel music, and featured the immense talents of Eugene Mumford. The Larks' story actually begins in Durham, NC, in the late '30s, when original core members: Thurmon Ruth, Allen Bunn, Junius Parker, Jimmy Gorham, and Melvin Coldten -- a powerful gospel collective already sharing membership with the Selah-Jubilee Singers, the Southern Harmonaires, and the Jubilators -- began recording for Decca Records, between 1939 through 1944. In the mid-'40s, the Larks met Eugene Mumford, who had been singing with the Four Interns. They attempted to bring Mumford into the Selah Singers but before they could, Mumford was charged with attempted rape of a white woman and convicted (it proved to be a crime he did not commit). Nevertheless, he was sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence. Mumford ended up serving a few years on a chain gang in North Carolina, until 1949, when he was released with a full pardon from the governor of North Carolina. He quickly joined Thurmon Ruth's new group, the Jubilators, moving to New York in the fall of 1950. The group consisted of Ruth, Allen Bunn, David McNeil, and Pee Wee Barnes. They began recording under various names: they were the Jubilators when they recorded for Regal, the Selah Singers for Jubilee, the Four Barons for Savoy and the Southern Harmonaires for Apollo Records. Bess Berman, head of Apollo Records, was desperate to make it in the field of newer R&B sound of the then-current bird group trend (the Orioles, the Cardinals and the Ravens et al), Berman changed their name to the "Five Larks,"...