Song:Take The "A" Train
Album:Night Train: Classic Railroad Songs Vol. 3
Though mostly forgotten today, the smooth sound of the 40s vocal group The Delta Rhythm Boys was very influential on the doo wop of the 50s and then soul and R & B. They only had one top ten hit but appeared in several films at the time. They actually appeared in more films than the more famous Mills Brothers. The group started at Langston University in Oklahoma in 1934. They moved down to New Orleans in 1936 and after winning some talent contests, they moved to New York. They went through some personnel changes but the group we know from their 40s recordings consisted of Lee Gaines, Traverse Crawford, Kelsey Pharr, Carl Jones and pianist arranger Rene DeKnight. They appeared in Broadway shows in the late 30s including Hellzapoppin' and they also had a 15 minute radio show. They signed a contract with Universal Pictures in 1940 and appeared in films like You'll Never Get Rich & Follow The Boys. They were also regulars on the Amos 'n' Andy radio show and played Las Vegas in 1942. But they couldn't record because of the early 40s recording strike. That hurt them. This great version of Billy Strayhorn's classic Take The "A" Train was recorded in 1947 and still sounds great today. This Rounder Records various artists comp is part of a series linking trains to black music history. Check it out. The Delta Rhythm Boys continued to record in the 50s but their increased popularity in Europe encouraged them to move to Sweden in 1956. They continued to remain very popular there and continued until Lee Gaines died in 1987. This is a very infulential group and I think you'll enjoy this video of The Delta Rhythm Boys performing Take The "A" Train.
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