London Harmony [Import]

Deep River Boys | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 8, 2011)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Acrobat/EMI
• ASIN: B0001VONOW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,008 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This definitive 44 track 2-CD set collects together many of the recordings made in the UK by Harry Douglas and The Deep River Boys. A jump jive vocal group who were formed in the 1930's and recorded for RCA they were by the early Fifties after years of touring for the USO the most popular act for US army personnel abroad. This extensive touring led to record breaking runs at the London Palladium and a contract with Parlophone Records (who had also released their American recordings from RCA). They became a staple on variety tours,TV and especially radio. They were able via cover versions to help introduce some authenticity to the emerging Rock and Roll market. The whole CD was sourced from original EMI master tapes and archive materials and compiled at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mighty Deeps, July 10, 2005

By 

Alfred Carter "Casper" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: London Harmony (Audio CD)

If you are a fan of close vocal harmony singing, you owe it to yourself to purchase this 2-CD set to hear this group at the height of its power. You will hear why they were much loved as performers in live concerts and why other countries, especially England, Canada, and Sweden fell in love with them. The vocals are lush, elegant, and tight, and show the Deep River Boys' unmistakeable stamp on each tune. No wonder they were selected as part of the program for a Royal Perfromance for the Queen of England in November 1952; no wonder they were asked to perform for President Eisenhower in 1955 at the White House. It's hard for me to pick highlights because the whole thing is one big highlight. Lead singer and baritone Harry Douglass' voice is like butter throughout (he is on every cut.) Edward Ware's smoky bass undergirds a good thirty-five songs, and Carter Wilson's's first tenor (and falsetto) can ring out like a clarion call. Ok I said I was not going to pick highlights and I won't, BUT I will pick uniqueness--listen to "Eli Eli", lugubrious and showing the Deep's connection to the spirituals, and to "Adam Never Had No Mammy," it could cause tears to well up in your eyes because of the topic, gorgeously sung. Finally, praise must be heaped on the person(s) who went back into the EMI/HMV vaults, found these masters, and decided they must be reissued on CD. A great service has been done for fans of this kind of music everywhere.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great hearing the Deep River Boys once more!, October 25, 2004

By 

karin the music lover - See all my reviews

This review is from: London Harmony (Audio CD)

What a great find! As I was browsing last May I put their name in and found that this rerelease was about to appear. The voices and rythm of these performers are unmatched for their genre. Performing through Europe in the fifties they were well liked and appreciated for their musicality and depth of knowledge of the American Spirituals as well as popular songs.
Where are they now?