Cat. No. VV 1455: THE ORIOLES (FEAT. SONNY TIL) ~ THE BEST OF THE ORIOLES. VOL. 2. MURRAY HILL RECORDS M61242.

USED VINYL RECORD. PART OF A COLLECTION NOW UP FOR SALE.

THE ORIOLES, ONE OF THE FIRST VOCAL GROUPS IN R&B, FORMED IN 1947 WHEN SONNY TIL MET UP WITH GEORGE NELSON, ALEXANDER SHARP AND LLOYD THOMAS "TOMMY" GAITHER 111 AND FORMED A GROUP CALLING THEMSELVES "THE VIBRA-NAIRES". IN APRIL 1948, THE GROUP APPEARED ON THE ARTHUR GODFREY RADIO TALENT SHOW IN NEW YORK CITY WITH RICHARD WILLIAMS AS BASS SINGER, BUT HE WAS THEN REPLACED BY JOHNNY REED. 

THE GROUP WON A RECORDING CONTRACT WITH THE "IT'S A NATURAL" (LATER TO BECOME JUBILEE RECORDS) RECORD LABEL AND CHANGED THEIR NAME TO THE ORIOLES IN HONOUR OF THE STATE BIRD OF MARYLAND. IN JULY 1948, THEY RECORDED A SONG, WRITTEN BY THEIR MANAGER DEBORAH CHESSLER, "IT'S TO SOON TO KNOW" WITH SONNY TIL TAKING LEAD VOCALS. THE RECORD REPORTEDLY SOLD 30,000 COPIES IN ITS FIRST WEEK, RISING TO NUMBER ONE ON THE NATIONAL R&B CHART IN NOVEMBER, 1948, AND LEADING TO COVER VERSIONS BY ARTISTS SUCH AS THE RAVENS, ELLA FITZGERALD AND DINAH WASHINGTON. IT WAS ALSO ONE OF THE FIRST "RACE" SONGS TO CROSS OVER INTO MAINSTREAM MARKETS, REACHING NUMBER 13 ON THE POP CHART. THE ORIOLES FOLLOWED UP WITH THEIR SECOND HIT "(IT'S GONNA BE) A LONELY CHRISTMAS" IN DECEMBER THE SAME YEAR.

FROM MID-1948 THROUGH 1955 JUBILEE RECORDED 121 SONGS WITH THE ORIOLES PLUS ANOTHER 14 FEATURING SONNY TIL AND EDNA McGRIFF. ON TOP OF THIS SONNY TIL RETURNED TO JUBILEE IN 1959 AFTER UNSUCCESSFUL STINTS WITH VEE JAY AND ROULETTE AND RECORDED 10 MORE SONGS THAT WERE ISSUED UNDER THE NAME "ORIOLES" IN 1959-60. THE RECORDINGS FOUND ON THIS SELECTION REPRESENT ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE MANY FINE SONGS SONNY TIL AND THE ORIOLES CUT FOR JUBILEE.

THE SLEEVE IS MADE OF HEAVY DUTY CARDBOARD AS MANY OF THE ALBUM SLEEVES WERE IN THAT ERA AND IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION WITH SOME MINOR RING WEAR ON THE FRONT OF THE SLEEVE AND A SMALL CREASE IN THE BOTTOM R/H CORNER ALONG WITH SOME MINOR WEAR ALONG A COUPLE OF EDGES. THERE IS ALSO A SMALL STAIN IN THE TOP R/H CORNER WHERE PRESUMABLY A PRICE STICKER HAD BEEN. THE RECORD IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION BORDERING ON NEAR MINT.

TRACK LISTING: Side 1 - I Challenge Your Kiss / I Had To Leave Town / Tell Me So (second version) / Baby Please Don't Go / I'd Rather Have You Under The Moon / You Belong To Me  Side 2 - At Night / I Need You So / Hold Me! Squeeze Me! / Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me / Forgive And Forget / What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? 

12" VINYL RECORD