There are few groups in the entertainment world that have accomplished even a few of the many feats of the Sunshine Boys. The Sunshine Boys were formed in the late 1930's as a country and western band. They continue to perform to this day on a limited basis. Through the years, they have performed under several names, but they have always been four versatile musicians who were willing and capable of adapting their talents to meet the demands of their market.
Original personnel of the group included John ("Tennessee") Smith (tenor), his brother A.L. ("Smitty") Smith (lead), Milton ("Ace") Richman (bass), and Pat Patterson (baritone). Each of the members played a variety of instruments. They first called Macon, Ga. home while performing on radio station WMAZ before moving to Atlanta, Ga. where they performed regularly on WAGA and WSB. The Smith brothers and Ace Richman first crossed paths in Columbus, Ohio in 1938. This meeting established the roots of one of the most versatile quartets in gospel music history. In the beginning, the group played very little gospel music, but mainly concentrated on music of the Western / Swing variety.
Pat Patterson soon left the group when he answered Uncle Sam's call in 1942. He was replaced by Eddie Wallace, a young musician who was attending Georgia Tech at the time. Eddie was a fine pianist, and brought a great gospel musical heritage to the group. It was at this time that the group expanded their repertoire to include gospel music in addition to it's Western, Swing, and Pop numbers. The Sunshine Boys were now performing on several radio stations in the Atlanta area including WAGA and WSB.
The
Sunshine Boys demonstrated their versatility at this time by performing as two
different groups on radio station WAGA. The station needed a Western swing band,
so the Sunshine Boys became their alter-ego: The Light Crust Dough Boys.
They would perform a fifteen minute radio program as the Light Crust Dough Boys
complete with a guitar, a bass, a fiddle, and an accordion as accompaniment. During
a thirty-second commercial break, the group would then transform themselves into
the Sunshine Boys. Eddie Wallace would move to the piano, swing the microphones
around, and the Sunshine Boys would sing a fifteen minute gospel program. This
setup lasted for several years. Very few listeners in the Atlanta area realized
they were listening to the same group with different names. Their concert performances
were always done under the name "The Sunshine Boys" and they featured
basically gospel music. Their arrangements of these gospel tunes and spirituals
were far superior to most of the groups of that day due to the vast musical abilities
of all of the members of the group.
The Sunshine Boys were always expanding their horizons. In 1945, the Sunshine Boys traveled to California to begin a career in motion pictures. They appeared in a series of Western films with stars such as Eddie Dean, Lash Larue, Smiley Burnette, Charles Starrett, and the Durango Kid. In these films, the Sunshine Boys would sing Western songs and spirituals in the context of the movie.
The Sunshine Boys recorded a few gospel songs for the Village label in 1945 and some secular numbers for the Pan-American label in 1947. The Smith brothers were more interested in pursuing country and western music, so in 1949 they left the Sunshine Boys. This was their first personnel change in nearly seven years. "Tennessee" and "Smitty" Smith remained in the Atlanta area and performed country music as the Smith Brothers.
Ace
Richman and Eddie Wallace continued to carry the gospel music banner into 1949.
They performed for a short time as the Travelers Quartet when
they hired two Floridians: tenor singer Horace Floyd and bass
singer JD Sumner. Horace didn't stay with the group long, and
the Sunshine Boys soon hired Fred Daniel from Covington, Ga.
to sing tenor. The group soon moved to Wheeling, West Virginia and took a job
at WWVA. They quickly built a following for themselves and became regulars on
the WWVA Jamboree.
Eddie, Ace, Fred, and JD divided their time between Wheeling and Atlanta with occasional trips to Hollywood to pursue their movie career. In the early 1950's, the Sunshine Boys signed a major record contract with Decca Records. Their affiliation with Decca led to them to take part in one of the biggest selling recordings in gospel music history when they sang backing vocals on Red Foley's hit "Peace in the Valley".
The Sunshine Boys performed on countless radio stations via their transcription services. They also worked with Cy Langworth and recorded several hundred songs for the Lang-Worth Transcription service. They were one of the only gospel groups in the Lang-Worth stable of artists that included the Mills Brothers, Count Basie, Woody Herman, and Elton Britt among many others. The radio stations would lease these recordings to play on their stations. During this time, the Sunshine Boys would record around 50 songs per session.
They
would find anything popular in the gospel field and record them for the Lang-Worth
Transcription Services. According to Eddie Wallace, many people would pitch their
songs to the Sunshine Boys. Once, Mosie Lister gave Eddie a stack
of his songs for their consideration. Mosie told him that none of the songs had
ever been recorded, and that most of them had been rejected by groups such as
the Statesmen, Blackwood Brothers, Homeland
Harmony, and LeFevres. When the Sunshine Boys started
singing through Mosie's music, gems such as "How Long Has it Been",
"Where No One Stands Alone", "I'm Bound for the Kingdom",
and "Goodbye World Goodbye" were in this collection of rejected
music. The Sunshine Boys soon recorded all of these songs, and they were quickly
picked up by other major artists.
On June 30, 1954, the world of gospel music experienced a terrible tragedy when RW Blackwood and Bill Lyles of the Blackwood Brothers lost their lives in an airplane crash. This also had a major impact on the Sunshine Boys as the Blackwood Brothers hired JD Sumner from the Sunshine Boys to sing bass with them. Although JD was a fine bass singer in those days, JD wasn't noted for the lower range that he became famous for. JD possessed a high vocal range that was necessary for the Blackwood Brothers' harmony. This coup for the Blackwood Brothers brought about the first personnel change for the Sunshine Boys in several years.
Johnny
Atkinson, a Georgia native, was chosen to sing bass with the Sunshine
Boys. He had previously sung with several other groups in the Atlanta area including
the Revelaires, Homeland Harmony, and LeFevres.
He had a very smooth voice and fit the Sunshine Boys quite well. During this time,
the Sunshine Boys began a network program for Minute Rice. Minute
Rice sponsored several entertainers at this time including Eve Arden
("Our Miss Brooks") and Johnny Carson, but
the Sunshine Boys outlasted both of them by several years. The Sunshine Boys also
did commercials for other products such as General Foods, Sterling
Drug, Prince Albert pipe tobacco (long before smoking
was a "sin"), and even Tube Rose Snuff!
Burl Strevel left the Blue Ridge Quartet and joined the Sunshine Boys in 1956 replacing Johnny Atkinson. The group continued to flourish in the gospel field. The Sunshine Boys became the first gospel artist to headline in major hotels on the Nevada circuit. They moved to Nevada in 1960 to work venues such as the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, the Mapes Hotel in Reno, and the Nevada Lodge in Lake Tahoe. Their blend of gospel and western music made them favorites on the Nevada circuit.
Strevel rejoined the Blue Ridge Quartet in 1964 replacing George Younce. Jim Boatman, formerly with the Prophets Quartet, joined the Sunshine Boys as bass singer. Fred Daniel also left to join the Blue Ridge Quartet about a year later, replacing Ed Sprouse. The Sunshine Boys continued to perform on the Nevada club circuit until they retired as a full time group in 1968.
The Sunshine Boys have accomplished many "firsts" in gospel music. They introduced television to the South at WSB-TV. They sang in an experimental television project at Rich's department store before taking part in the first live telecast of WSB-TV in September 1948. They also did their own ABC radio network program daily from 1954-1959.
Tales that have been told (and printed!) about the Sunshine Boys and their exploits are legendary. The Sunshine Boys were blessed with two of the funniest and most candid storytellers in gospel music history: Eddie Wallace and JD Sumner. This writer will not even begin to recount these stories, but they are some of the funniest in the history of gospel music.
The
Sunshine Boys continued to perform on a limited basis through the years, often
enlisting the services of the late JD Sumner or the late Johnny Atkinson to fill
the bass slot. They sang at "Old Timers Night" at the National
Quartet Convention for several years. They have never missed the opportunity
to perform at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion, having not missed
a performance there since 1988. Although several of the Sunshine Boys have passed
away, the current group consisting of Fred Daniel, Bob
Shaw, Jimmy Jones, and Ed Wallace continue
to perform on a limited basis around the Atlanta area. Recently, the Sunshine
Boys released a new video and CD with their current group. They still sing many
Sunshine Boys classics just as they did in years past.
Next time you cook a pot of Minute Rice, make a purchase from General Foods, or contemplate the "satisfaction" of Tube Rose Snuff or Prince Albert Tobacco, remember the gospel quartet that helped to make them famous in the 1950's .... the Sunshine Boys!
Author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Written: 05/31/2003
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Category: SG History 101
Comments: 26
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You have done it again!!! Bravo!! Well done. The only problem I see, is how you are going to be able to keep this up!!! Sooner or later you will not be able to top yourself.
John: Thanks for another great article. In the early 70s, the National Quartet Convention had an old-timers' night. In 1973, I got to see the group with Ace, Freddie, JD and Eddie. JD told some great stories about his days with the Boys in his book "Gospel Music is My Life."
John.
Best one yet, John. I attended my first gospel concert when I was 3 years old and the Sunshine Boys were the first group I ever seen in my life. They were at the "Ole Timers Nite" at the Joyful Noise in Atlanta. That was in 1986 I think. People would be amazed at how good they still sound. Thanks for using that later pic of them with JD. Especially since my daddy took it!
John,
John: As always, you provide an excellent insight to southern gospel of the past with this great series on the 'old-timers'. These are quality articles that should be preserved in book form for generations to come!
J.C.
This is one of Mr. Crenshaw's best lessons yet on the rich heritage of quartet singing! That he takes the time to share these articles with us in such a professional manner is an indication of his character. I for one appreciate this selfless endeavor. Also appreciated is his informing us that smoking is a sin. I was unaware of this proclamation. Snuff dipping, of course, is a reproach to any people.
John,
Excellent article John, as always. You keep up entertained with your articles, as well as well schooled in the rich history of SG. Thank you so much!
John: thanks again for an informative and fun article. Always learn something new from your writing, and it gives us gospel music "purists" a little shot in the arm. Exploits aside, four singers and a piano ain't bad!
Great article, John. Thanks for all the info. I know you spend a lot of time & effort on your articles & I for one appreciate it. Being a history buff anyway, it helps fill in the gaps in my own knowledge. Keep up the good work.
Just a shot in the dark, but wouldn't the "Unknown" rock and roll singer be Elvis Presley in the bottom picture? Anyway, thanks for the article John. I know you spend a lot of time getting the info. I love learning about old time Southern Gospel Quartets!
Yes, Marc, that just might be Elvis! I wish I had an original copy of that picture, for you would have also seen Eddie Wallace at the piano. Eddie told me that they sang with Elvis until 5:30 am, and wouldn't have stopped then but the Sunshine Boys had a performance at 10:30 that morning.
I really enjoyed this article! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! I was also happy to see a response from Jonathan Sawrie. Where in the world did he go????:) I miss his great humor. heehee
I look forward to these articles all the time. Could you do one on my favorite group, The Imperials?
Thanks for the excellent article on the Sunshine Boys. I had the opportunity to see and hear them several years ago at the Grand Ole Gospel Reunion in Greenville SC. These old men can still sing.
I DIDN'TKNOW JD UNTILL THE 80S OR 90S HE HAD THE ORIGINAL MASTERS 5 WITH ROSIE ROSELL, MY HERO JAMES BLACKWOOD JAKE HESS AND
I was 9 years old and living in Wheeling, WV when the Sunshine Boys hit town. They hit like the "Atom Bomb" that they used to sing about. Their personal appearances in concert and on the WWVA Jamboree drew heavy crowds from all over the area. They were my introduction to Southern Gospel music and were my inspiration to form my own quartet in the '70s. They were my heros.
I had the pleasure of following the Blue Ridge Quartet and seeing many of their concerts. Every time they were in the area, (which then was MD,) PA or close by, I went to hear them. Fred Daniel and Burl Strevel were in the group. I realize that Burl has passed on, but where is Fred, is he still with the Sunshine Boys today? Would like some info as to what he is doing today. They were great!
my son and i just read this about my father ACE
In the late 60's, I was the female vocalist who sang with Ace Richman and Eddie Wallace, Jerry Wallace at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, the Mapes Hotel and other places. I have a picture of myself with them. The drummer at that time was Woody Woodruff.I never see anything about this time in their lives but I was with them for about 2 years.
John: Thank you for the wonderful article on the Sunshine Boys. I first heard them as a child growing up in Tucson, AZ. My Mom had one of thier albums, Sing Unto Him, which I still have today. When she wanted to get her housework done quickly she would play this album. I have recently found two other albums by this great group, and my search continues. Everyone who hears my albums ask where they can buy them. Thanks again.
George Hollingsworth:
Ace Richman was my grandfather in law and the most wonderful man I ever knew thank you for the tribute to these amazing men.
Just a small correction - In "The Sunshine Boys performed on countless radio stations via their transcription services. They also worked with Cy Langworth and recorded several hundred songs for the Lang-Worth Transcription service." I'm quite sure that the Cy you've referred to is my great-uncle, Cyril Langlois. He, my Dad's Uncle Cy, had partnered with a Mr. Wentworth to create that business, hence the name "Lang-Worth."
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