The year was 1947 in the Deep South. A grocer/music store owner/radio personality in Pensacola, Florida by the name of J.G. Whitfield decided to fulfill a dream and start a singing group, which he called, 'The Gospel Melody Quartet.'
'Southern Gospel Music' as it is called today had been around since the 1920s with fans from the Southeast to Texas, and all the states in between. This unique genre of music was born and bred in the southern portion of the United States, and its popularity was confined almost exclusively to churches. But little did J.G. Whitfield know that what he was about to do would make music history and propel 'quartet music,' as aficionados call it, into the TV era.
Music promoters across the Southeast, the Deep South, and the Southwest would introduce Whitfield's quartet to the stage by saying, 'And now give a big welcome to those boys from Florida, with sand in their shoes and a song in their hearts, the Gospel Melody Quartet!'
'The boys from Florida' stuck in Whitfield's mind as a major calling card in those days. And thus, one day he walked into the quartet office in Pensacola and declared to the members of the group, 'Boys, from now on we are officially The Florida Boys Quartet.'
And the rest, as they say, is history. The Florida Boys were on the very first gospel concert promoted in New York City in Carnegie Hall in 1963. The were the first group signed to an exclusive gospel label called 'Canaan Records' in 1964. Canaan, which was a subsidiary of the mammoth Word Records out of Waco, Texas, was at one time owned by the music industry giant Arista Records in California--a major secular record company.
This group was no backwoods truckload of hicks from the Deep South who couldn't carry a tune. To the contrary, these guys appeared more than once on NBC's Today Show, the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music TV's Crook and Chase, the National Christian Booksellers' Convention, and in nearly every major musical arena in the U.S. and the world.
In 1973 the Florida Boys were invited by the Israeli government to perform in a series of concerts throughout the nation of Israel. They sang before packed concert houses along with three other major groups, The Thrasher Brothers, the Downings, and the Blackwood Brothers.
The Florida Boys were among the first of a handful of Gospel Quartets to have their own syndicated television show with a sponsor in the early 1960s. That show, called 'The Gospel Song Shop,' was sponsored by the Chattanooga Medicine Company and was the forerunner of the history-making 'Gospel Singing Jubilee,' which became such a widespread success that at one time it was shown in every major TV market in America from 1964 until 1980.
As hosts for The Gospel Singing Jubilee, the Florida Boys welcomed to television as their special guests all of the major groups in Gospel Music in the course of time. The Oak Ridge Boys (before they became a country music group), the Blackwood Brothers, Hovie Lister and the Statesmen Quartet, the Cathedral Quartet, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet (J.D. was once listed in the Guinness Book as the lowest bass vocalist in the world), the Speer Family, the Prophets Quartet, and the Lefevres (which was started by Mylon Lefevre's parents) were some of the icons The Florida Boys brought to TV.
Through the years the Florida Boys were joined by other groups as co-hosts of the Jubilee, such as the Happy Goodman Family, the Dixie Echoes, the Couriers, the Inspirations, and the Hinsons.
On any given weekend, at any number of venues in the southern portion of the U.S., one could see these groups in person on all of the major concert stages in that area of the country. The Florida Boys were always at the forefront of these concerts as the only group to sustain continuous popularity for 60 years.
This year, however, marks the end of the line for this beloved group of Christian singers. The Florida Boys are retiring after 60 years in full-time quartet singing. Three of the quartet's members, Les Beasley, Glen Allred, and Derrell Stewart, have been with the group for over 50 years. The original members of the group from 1947 are all deceased, including founder J.G. Whitfield.
Glen Allred has the senior status with the Florida Boys, having sung baritone for the group since 1952. Allred began his career with the Oak Ridge Boys and played on the Grand Ole Opry back in the early 50s. Shortly thereafter he joined the Florida Boys and has been recognized by his peers in the industry as THE epitome of a quartet baritone.
Les Beasley, manager and lead vocalist for the group, was the driving force behind the Florida Boys' success. Beasley's expertise as a business manager and promoter gained for the Florida Boys a key component of success in any genre of music--the spotlight and recognition of the movers and shakers among promoters, publicists, retailers, and recording execs.
And then there was the crowd-pleasing showman, pianist Derrell Stewart, who always had a smile and who always wore his trademark red socks.
Through the years these three beloved performers presented a vocal quartet that included various personnel; bass vocalists such as Gene McDonald, Buddy Liles, Billy Todd, and George Younce; and tenors such as Harold Reed, Coy Cook, Tommy Atwood, Laddie Cain, and Jerry Trammell.
Despite the personnel changes through the years with the bass and tenor positions, Les, Glen, and Derrell always managed to put on the stage a quality quartet that pleased generations of fans all across the country.
They will be sorely missed. But after 50-plus years of being on the road, they deserve to park the tour bus and stay home with family.
Here's to the Florida Boys for 60 wonderful years of memories, music, laughter and tears, and 'the sweetest music this side of heaven.'
For a pictorial history of this legendary Gospel Quartet, click here:
http://www.singingnews.com/news/features/archive/2007/florida_boys_retire/
For photos of The Florida Boys' final performance at the National Quartet Convention last week, click here:
http://www.singingnews.com/news/features/archive/2007/NQC_2007_Florida_Boys_Tribute/index.html
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