The Ravens

The Ravens were a rhythm 'n' blues vocal group that was one of the pioneers of doo wop . The group was founded in 1945 by Jimmy Ricks and Warren Suttles. The undisputed star of the group was Jimmy "Ricky" Ricks, whose bass vocals became the benchmark for subsequent doo-wop bass singers.

Ravens - Ol 'Man River

The Ravens in the 1940s.
Photography by William P. Gottlieb .

In addition to Ricks and the baritone Suttles, the first members also included the falsetto tenor Maithe Marshall and the tenor Ollie Jones, who was later replaced by Leonard Puzey. They released their first single on the small record label Hub Records in July 1946 under the title Honey . In April 1947 they moved to National Records , where they were produced by Herb Abramson . The first record here was Write Me A Letter in December 1947 , which reached number 5 on the Rhythm & Blues charts and developed into one of the first crossover hits when it reached number 24 on the pop charts. This was followed in June 1947 by a rhythmic cover version of the standard Ol 'Man River , which sold around two million times, but only made it to 10th place on the R&B charts. A number of other standards were recorded on September 11, 1947 with Summertime or September Song . From September 1952 they no longer made a single in the charts, although they still recorded records until June 1966. Their last label at the time was Jubilee Records , which Herb Abramson founded in May 1946.

In 1956, Ricks left the Ravens and began a solo career. In the early 1970s he sang in Count Basie's orchestra . He died on July 2, 1974 at the age of 50.

The Ravens were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

literature

• McCutcheon, Lynn Ellis: Rhythm and Blues. An Experience And Adventure In Its Origin And Development . Arlington, Virginia: RW Beatty Ltd, 1971, pp. 116-125
• Stambler, Irwin: The Encyclopedia Of Pop, Rock And Soul . 3rd revised edition, New York City, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989, pp. 556f - ISBN 0-312-02573-4
• Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 54-56

Web links

• The Ravens on the Vocal Group Hall of Fame website
• The Ravens at Allmusic Guide
• The Ravens on Doowop Cafe Radio (Engl.) ( Memento of 17 July 2012 at the Internet Archive )
• Detailed biography of Marv Goldberg (Engl.)
• Jimmy Rick's discography

Individual evidence

1. ^ Jay Warner, American Singing Groups , 2006, p. 55