The Pilgrim Travelers were an American gospel group, popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Musical career
Formed in 1936 in Houston, Texas, United States, The Pilgrim Travelers traded the lead between their two singers, Kylo Turner, the same facility as a note-bending falsetto as R.H. Harris of the Soul Stirrers, and Keith Barber who changed from being a sweet-voiced tenor to a hard gospel shouter. They added Jesse Whitaker — whom Ray Charles credited as one of his models when he adapted hard gospel style to secular themes to create soul music in the 1950s — as a baritone in 1947. In 1948, the group issued six singles; after just three the following year. In 1950, Specialty released ten Pilgrim Travelers sides, all of them to strong sales (particularly "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well" and "Mother Bowed"). it lost its hit making power after leaving Specialty Records in 1956. <!-- Shortly after Lou Rawls separated from the Travelers, Ben Peters stepped in and continued to be an active member of what was left of the group. -->
Further reading
- Boyer, Horace Clarence,How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel Elliott and Clark, 1995, .
See also
- Dixie Hummingbirds
References
External links
- Short profile of the Pilgrim Travelers
- Another short profile of the Pilgrim Travelers
- AllMusic resource for information on albums, songs, and other information on the Pilgrim Travelers