Best harmony singers

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 20 Feb 05 - 08:57 PM

Agree with those who mentioned Kay Justice & Ginny Hawker – their harmonies give me shivers, they're so good! (Tried to find a link for the two of 'em, but the best I can do is this page of a website for Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz (if you scroll down, you'll get to their CD "Bristol, A Tribute to the Carter Family")

Also forgot to mention John Roberts & Tony Barrand, English ex-pat (I think they live in New England) harmony singers whose voices combine brilliantly.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,Ed Cunningham
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 02:08 PM

My Favorites are:


The Blue Sky Boys (The Bolick Brothers)
The Louvin Brothers
The Demore Brothers
The Anglin Brothers
Bill and Charlie Monroe
Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
The Fairfield Four

It's hard to beat the sibling harmony.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,winnie
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 01:43 PM

I didn't see the Persuasions mentioned above- great acapella 4 part harmonies. I especially love their older material- they've been around since the 60's (at least!)

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 07:31 AM

Taggart and Wright

Hear them here www.sky-web.net/taggartandwright/

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: sharyn
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 01:34 AM

Check out an obscure San Francisco group called Out of the Rain. PM radriano for details. Many of us learned and cribbed harmonies and songs from them.

Also, Gillian Welch and that guy she sings with, Richard and Linda Thompson, a Scottish duo that it is too late at night for me to remember their names -- Christine Kydd -- Janet Russell and Christine Kydd, The Nields.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,NCForestDweller
Date: 13 Feb 05 - 03:22 PM

EmmyLou, of course. Don Williams and EmmyLou sound great together. The Everyly Brothers, TomPall and the Glasers, and I can't believe the Statlers isn't mentioned yet.
Dar Williams and Lucy Kablonsky sound great together, but anything with Dar sounds good I think
There's a song done for a charity benefit of some type that has Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Gloria Estefan and Carole King doing "You've Got a Friend" that sounds great. Hard to bring all those unique and powerful voices together but there is definitely harmony there.
and of course, My all time favorite 'harmony' group..The Bee Gees

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Once Famous
Date: 24 Jan 05 - 03:30 PM

Have you ever heard the Trio albums by Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt?

Can there be any sweeter harmony?

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,puck
Date: 24 Jan 05 - 03:13 PM

Dave Webber and Annie Fentiman.......absolutely excellent

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: phinque
Date: 24 Jan 05 - 03:01 PM

Robin and Linda Williams and their fine group

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jan 05 - 11:01 AM

No-one has mentioned The MacAlmans. They should be very high on the list. I saw them at the Lomond Folk Festival and they were superb. The support act Tagg art and Wright, were very good and should also be included.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Auggie
Date: 21 Jan 05 - 03:14 PM

Even an occasionally slightly off Steven Stills is a joy for me to listen to, especially when he goes into the acoustic sets. It's a marvelously expressive voice, and few white boys can play the blues better.It's too bad he's not recorded more songs from that vein.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Dreaded Thumbpick
Date: 21 Jan 05 - 11:19 AM

The folks in Beggar's Velvet did a pretty good job as well.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Hawker
Date: 21 Jan 05 - 10:57 AM

Also what about Thorn & Roses? Fantastic harmonies. Jinks Stack were great too.
Cheers, Lucy

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: thespionage
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 03:55 PM

The Weavers
Simon & Garfunkel (And they still have it!)
The Modern Folk Quartet
PP&M
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,bradfordian
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 08:12 AM

A local UK male quartet NOTTS ALLIANCE for me produced goosebumbs at times. Seems they've just lost one of their number. Great shame but they have some lovely Cds

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,John Hardly
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 06:51 AM

auggie,
I'll give another listen. Maybe I'm assuming too much -- that Stills' singing melody had the "easier" task for staying on pitch. Perhaps it is he and that's why I had trouble pinpointing who was off.

Cluin,
Nash's writing is a real mixed bag. He's written some greats, others with a pretty high "cringe factor" for me.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Cluin
Date: 20 Jan 05 - 02:35 AM

Hard to tell from that picture, Martin, but I think it was Pete Wade. He stepped in for the chorus and was strumming a J-200 beside Ray and his Martin in the film clip I saw. They were about the same height anyway. Thanks for the pic link.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: alanabit
Date: 19 Jan 05 - 02:44 PM

Just read your post John. I like "Carry On" a lot too. "Deja Vu" was one of my first albums. I heard "Wasted on the Way" (some twenty odd years old now, I believe) for the first time this week. It was on a DVD of a concert in 1982 and it sounds pretty good to me. I don't doubt there is more than one live recording of the song. Nash's songwriting is a bit twee for my tastes at times. "Magical Child" is the sort of naff twaddle we all write when we go through that phase when we believe the audience wants to hear all about our feelings. Unfortunately for Nash, he looked even sillier, because he had to follow a masterful piece of open tuned Delta blues style guitar, with a wickedly ironical lyric by Steve Stills("Treetop Flyer"). Sorry about the thread drift Martin. I only saw CSN&Y once, at Wembely in 1974. They were up for it though and I enjoyed it a lot. Joni Mitchell joining in some of the harmonies didn't make it any worse either!

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: bobcat
Date: 18 Jan 05 - 04:21 PM

Guest, Peter Grey..hope you read my message about English Tapestry and respond

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: bobcat
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 07:31 PM

Enlish Tapestry were superb.I saw them many times in Kent and Yorkshire in the 1970s and early 80s. They are not currently singing but are alive and well in Cambridgeshire.I would be very keen to have a copy of the tapes you made. The only recording of them is one track on a trailer LP- and with Ralph McTell singing Kew Gardens (which he wrote especially for them ) on his Streets of London LP now CD. In 1980 they came at my husband's invitation to sing at the middle school where he taught.I can hear them in my mind as I write!!!

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Once Famous
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 07:27 PM

Cluin

Check out this link for an old Cherokke Cowboys picture.

http://www.buddyemmons.com/cherokee1.htm

Was it one of these guys? Check out the yound Johnny Paycheck who I believe played bass.

The Lost Highway series is a complete treasure. The film clips are priceless. I have a book that the series is based on that has some great photos.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Cluin
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 07:05 PM

Possibly, Martin, but I was watching "Lost Highway" last night and there was a bit of Ray singing Crazy Arms and another guy, taller and with dark hair, stepped in to sing harmony on the chorus. He looked a bit familiar so I just wondered if he had a career outside of RP's band.

Great series, that "Lost Highway", by the way...

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,auggie (cookieless)
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 07:04 PM

John Hardy
I hate to think of all the money I've spent over the years seeing CSN (and sometimesY) in concert. Most nights they were good, some nights they sucked, but when they were dead on, you are absolutely right, they were just bleeping awesome. The nights they weren't so good, it was always Steve Stills who was off. Tho he's my least favorite of the 3, I don't think I ever heard Nash miss a note.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Once Famous
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 06:42 PM

Cluin, could the harmony on Crazy Arms by Ray Price have been just an over-dub?

I do know that Marty Robbins used Tompall and the Glaser Brothers for a lot of his stuff.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: John Hardly
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 01:45 PM

You know something interesting, Alanabit? I love CSN. I think that Deja Vu is arguably the best pop album ever produced -- certainly a top ten contender. I think the moment at which the song "Carry On" breaks into that full harmony, "Ca-a-a-a-rry on, love is coming, love is coming...." bit, is one of the most striking moments of harmony singing EVER.

But when I hear "Wasted On The Way" Oh my god.... IT's horrid!! I think (I've tried to listen to it over and over to analyze it -- at no small cost to my aural health, mind you) and I think it's Nash who is off. It is the most off-pitch recording since April and Nino Tempo recorded "Deep Purple". ug.

I recently got the three DVD CSN in concert set. It seems to reconfirm that Nash is the off voice -- and that it happened as the rule, not the exception, in concert.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: alanabit
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 07:18 AM

I think part of the art is changing your voice so that it fits the people you are singing with. I have been listening to Crosby, Stills and Nash recently and I notice how you can hardly tell which part David Crosby is singing most of the time. Graham Nash also changes the timbre of his voice from when he is singing lead.
It is well off the folk music track, but I was also very impressed by the Temptations and Bob Marley and the Wailers as harmony singers. The Temptations jazz and gospel based sound was a bit too smooth for some tastes (including mine at times), but they could sing jazz chords with stunning accuracy. The near telepathic interplay of Bob Marley's band is what strikes most listeners, but his harmonies are worth noting too. The early version of "Stir It Up" combines excellent harmony with uncanny dynamics. That is good harmony singing in my book too.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Cluin
Date: 17 Jan 05 - 05:40 AM

Who sang harmony with Ray Price on "Crazy Arms"?

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,Koala Lou
Date: 16 Jan 05 - 03:04 PM

The list, so far, has been great on exemplars but I have two additions. In the English tradition I'd suggest Pageant and in the bluegrass tradition I'd suggest the Sensitive New Age Cowpersons. Both are/were Australian.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: John Hardly
Date: 16 Jan 05 - 12:45 PM

Nashville Bluegrass Band
Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
IIIrd Tyme Out
Pied Piers
The Meltones (Mel Torme's vocal band)
James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt combined together and as backup vocals on everything from Heart of Gold (Neil Young) to Ike&Tina Turner remakes -- they blended as well as those "blood harmonies".

So many gospel quartets, too numerous to mention - harmony is their stock in trade.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,Peter Grey
Date: 05 Jan 05 - 04:56 AM

English tapestry are very good. In 1972 they were guests at the KenilworthFolk Club held at the Virgin and Castle. and sang threre sessions which I recorded, even a version of the inkspots whispering grass before it had been recorded for the charts by "lofty".
What has happened to then now?? are they still singing??

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Ferrara
Date: 01 Jan 05 - 11:53 PM

Yes to Carter Family, Louvin brothers et al!

And yes, yes to Bill Destler and Tom McHenry, add Wally McNow who was the third member of their group -- was it called Rock Creek? The dreaded Memory Failure is assailing me.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,Pete Peterson
Date: 01 Jan 05 - 11:31 PM

Just saw this thread. Can't believe that nobody has yet mentioned (unless I missed it) the Original Carter Family. Gloux's post recommended Kay (Justice) and Ginny (Hawker) with which I agree, but you oughta hear the people they learned it from!

Also the old brother duets (Louvins, Delmores, Blue Sky Boys, Monroe Bros) and their non-sibling precursors (Karl and Harty, Mac and Bob)

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Dreaded Thumbpick
Date: 01 Jan 05 - 02:26 PM

All three of the members of Finest Kind (Ian Robb, Ann Downey, and Shelley Posen) do beautiful work. And I admit to having sentimental favorites in Bill Destler and Tom McHenry.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers in response to Mechanic!
From:
Date: 01 Jan 05 - 02:06 PM

Guest Mechanic! Here is what you were looking for! Hope this helps! Susu

I'LL FACE NOBODYS RECORD
(done by the Forbes Family, Molly O'Day, and Limited Edition)

When I stand on that great judgement morning
Hear the records of home that are there
Everything is recorded in Heaven
But this consolation we'll share

Chorus:
I'll face nobody's record but my own
I'll face nobody's record but mine
When I stand on that great judgement morning
I'll face nobody's record but mine

There'll be people by the millions all faceless
That great judge up there on His throne
Will not be judged by it's features
But by that great record alone.

Chorus:

What people say will not be mentioned
For God knows the intent of our hearts
You may look good in the sight of the people
But still hear Him say depart.

Chorus:

Every time that I suffered for Jesus
Every sacrifice made in His light
Every time that I've done good for evil
I'll face when I've ended this life.

Chorus:

If you're right just be patient my brother
Don't misjudge by the people down here
Where we stand on that great judgement morning
Every secret will then be made clear

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,honestfrankie
Date: 30 Dec 04 - 11:39 AM

I like all the groups mentioned in this thread so far but some great harmonies are found outside the rootsy/folky domain. A black accapella group called "Take 6" has some outstanding harmonies. Also some of the older groups like the Dixie Humminbirds or the Jordinaires that backed Elvis.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Leadfingers
Date: 30 Dec 04 - 08:40 AM

GUEST.mechanic I would suggest you start a new thread using Lyr Req as a prefix ! A lot of people will not even look at this thread who may be able to help you .

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: GUEST,mechanic
Date: 30 Dec 04 - 08:24 AM

if somebody could help me with a title or artist,i would be most   greatful - the only lines i know are - when we meet on that great judgement morning i'll face nobody's record but mine - when we meet on that great judgement morning i'll face nobody's record but my own i heard it on the radio and sung by a group in harmony (accapella i think) not sure if it's gospel,blues or what - thanks for any clues

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: LadyJean
Date: 30 Dec 04 - 01:08 AM

Clam Chowder were amateurs but gifted amateurs, doing harmony from several traditions.
Maddie Pryor and June Tabor harmonized on two collections. "Silver Whistle" is something pretty special.
Now, I danced in the 1980 Pittsburgh Folk Festival, which also featured a Ukrainian Choir, that was pretty wonderful. My mother was very impressed. My father, who had been in Ukraine during the war was not. "Hmmmph," he said. "Any group of Ukrainians could do that."

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Leadfingers
Date: 29 Dec 04 - 03:17 PM

Good Harmony singing is always worth listening to but when the chorus/audience try to take over the way a song is being sung (slowing the Chorus down happens FAR too often in UK) it adds NOTHING to the sound . Those who were fortunate enough to hear the chorus singing in The Cellar Bar at Bracknell will know exactly what I mean !!
Of the current crop can I add a trio of ladies ? Craig Morgan Robson
take a bit of beating IMHO .

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From:
Date: 29 Dec 04 - 02:41 PM

TO: Guest Jack,

Thanks so much for your mentioning the Balancers. What a thrill it was to see our duo mentioned on such a cool site! God bless & Keep ya, we'll be in Stephenville in February and again in April or May. Come see us & introduce yourself!

DeAnna White, Harmony
Harmonic Balancers

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From:
Date: 29 Dec 04 - 02:26 PM

Hey Jack! Who are you? It's me Susanne Boston! I am the hair color changing half of Harmonic Balancers! Send me and email ok? Susanne

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: BB
Date: 28 Dec 04 - 06:44 AM

Parts of England did/do traditionally sing in harmony - I learnt my style of harmony singing from traditional singing in Cornwall many years ago, and it still goes on there. Came out of the chapel singing I believe.

I think part of the problem with harmonies detracting from the songs themselves is that many of the harmonies used are not sympathetic to the melodies but seem to be used because they sound clever. Where harmonies are found in the tradition, they tend to be kept quite simple, and their use seems to emphasise rather than detract from the melodies. Even in the carol traditions, the lines may be staggered, and end up sounding quite complex, but the harmonies themselves are very basic.

John C. may be correct in saying that harmony singing can 'smooth out' melodies - 'Pleasant and Delightful' for instance has a tune that differs greatly between, say, the East Anglian one, where there is no tradition of harmony singing AFAIK, and the West Country one which does - but I don't think either is better or worse, just different, and long may those regional differences remain.

As for those archetypal (sp?) chorus singers - they're just bad singers - don't blame the style. I have many times heard wonderful chorus singing - with harmonies - that rattles along at a fair old rate, entirely following the way the lead singer wants it to go. When I have come across what John describes above, it has tended to be sheer self-indulgence, late at night after large amounts of booze - and you're right, it's dreadful!

Barbara

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: John C.
Date: 28 Dec 04 - 05:18 AM

I really appreciate the thoughtful and informative responses to my (admittedly) rather provocative comments - they are probably more measured and restrained than I deserve! Thanks guys - you've just re-inforced my faith in this wonderful community that we belong to. A happy and prosperous New Year to all of you.

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: andymac
Date: 28 Dec 04 - 01:59 AM

Seems to me there are two threads to this thread now.
Firstly,
Harmony singers:
Coope Boyes and Simpson
Sweet Honey in the Rock,
Davey Steele and Drinkers Drouth (Not at all dirge-like.)
Jolly Jack, (who recorded two albums, full of hrarmonies- late 70s early 80s),
Palaver, 4 top Scots solo female singers singing together,
John Holland and Tony Barratt
The Johnson Girls

and secondly,
Whether or not harmonies are appropriate:
John C makes a good point takes it to extremes...

In my opinion, some songs are "made" for harmonies, eg Sea Shanties
however, other songs lose a lot of their emotional impact when harmonies are employed...Can you imagine (without waking, screaming, in the middle of the night) hearing harmonies to "Chylde Owlett", or "Sheath and Knife"? Many tradional songs are narrative ballads and as such are often far better with a solo voice; often but not exclusively, unaccompanied.

I for one, wouldn't want to hear the big ballads sung with sickly, sacharine, sanitised harmonies, nor would I want to have all harmonies banned.



Andy

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Ferrara
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 11:29 PM

John C, there are lots of different regional approaches to harmony, as well as to allowing people to sing along on choruses. For Appalachian ballads the traditional style is solo singing, even on refrains and choruses. American "old time" music has harmonies though. And it's definitely trad, it just comes from a different tradition, mostly a matter of what region.

Gospel in the U.S. usually has harmonies, but there are exceptions such as Primitive Baptist and Shaker singing.

Norman Kennedy is fine with people singing on refrains and choruses but does NOT want them to sing harmonies. For one thing, he's not used to it and it throws them off. However Lou Killen says that in his local tradition people sang on the choruses and he seems quite happy to have plenty of improvised harmony as well.

Having said all that, I'm really very much in sympathy with what you seem to be saying, which is to say that whenever possible I would prefer to hear songs sung the way the old folks sang 'em.

And "tarting up" a song, as Derek Seed put it, is not usually what I like to hear. Still it can make for some great music and of course there's another factor, no one can say that the harmonies of the Everley Brothers are not an "authentic" style for their songs, can they?

There's room for everything although I too would like to see there being more room for respect for the traditional ways of singing the songs I like best.... A lot of those styles are getting harder and harder to find and hear.

Rita F

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 06:47 PM

We had an almost identical thread a few years ago and looking back, it got almost identical results........General agreement on the strength of blood harmonies with a nod to the Everlys at possibly the top. Emmylou with lots of votes saying she can sing with anyone. Don Rich literally defined the beginning and the end of Buck Owens' career........Lot of the same stuff on both threads with a lot of different folks.

I don't think I saw Robin and Linda Williams in this thread so I'll add them on here. And Vix....good call on the Golden Ring.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 05:03 PM

LOL,. Metchosin! Now, there are some singers who are so bad, I'd encourage the audience to sing so loud that they drown them out...

Jerry

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Metchosin
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 04:42 PM

Well Jerry, maybe John C doesn't think of it as a "chorus", but as a "refrain", as in please, refrain from singing this part. LOL

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 03:31 PM

John C: I love harmony singing and always have. But, there are many folk songs that I feel carry more power when sung solo. Some, when they are unaccompanied, for that matter. To me, it depends as much on the song, as anything. If the song is about a personal experience, it can sound odd with a group of people all singing "I."
Which "I" are we referring to? Narrative songs and ballads often sound better to me as a solo singer. Mostly, it's songs with a good chorus that feel "right" for harmonizing.

On the other hand, would you really like to hear sea chanteys sung solo? "Haul away me laddies," could then be sung "Haul away me" I know some folk singers who resent anyone singing along on the chorus, which I've never understood. That's why they're called "choruses."
Theres a certain romance in the lone folk singer catching a freight with his cheap guitar strapped across his back that doesn't seem to allow for a quartet of harmony singers catching the same train.

All that said, I LOVE harmony singing... singing it, and listening to it.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Best harmony singers
From: John C.
Date: 27 Dec 04 - 03:19 PM

Oh dear, and I was trying very hard not to be nationalistic - I really don't know enough about American trad. song to know if harmony singing is appropriate or not.
Yes, I do come from a little country (England) and, no, I don't think it's better than any other country (although, as an Englishman, I believe I've got much to be thankful for). What I do know, though, is that my ancestors, although they were often poor and often had very little, left behind a beautiful legacy of traditional songs and I want to hear those songs presented in the most appropriate way possible. This has nothing to do with having a tin ear - I hope!
It has always seemed to me that everyone who encounters the old songs immediately wants to convert them into something else - often before they have even begun to grasp their essence. Thus the Edwardian collectors wanted to turn them into classical music whilst the 60s rock generation wanted to turn them into rock songs; to sing them in harmony is, to me, merely part of the same phenomenon.