The Southern Harmonizers were at that time a Radio Artist of Station WIBV in Belleville, Illinois and WESL located in East St. Louis, Illinois. Broadcasting on Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and were sponsored by the Ebony Insurance Company, Pat's Barber Shop, Totsie Hair Grower, New York Cleaners and Crisp Confectionery.My first awareness and contact with this group came when I was at the age of 12 years old. I would hear them rehearsing at a house next door to a neighborhood friend of mine that lived one block over from where I was living. The power of those voices with harmony so tight, it would be difficult to get air between the notes would leave me spelled-bound. They were singing without microphones and used no special effects tools like they do today. I and my friends would stop playing marbles and we would just listen, like the other neighbors was doing, they had us in their grasp, awesome entertainment coming from a house that made us,my friend and I wish that it was our house that they were rehearsing at, just to give us a boasting edge at school the next day. It was the kind of direct-to-the-point promoting that got real good attention.
The Southern Harmonizers were organized and founded in 1942 by Bro. Leonard Bell and Richard Orange. The original group members were Bro. Leonard Bell, Register Harris, Henry Summers, Harry Lee Barnes and Richard Orange.
At the beginning Bro.Richard Orange served as the Groups Manager from 1942 til 1945 when Bro. Rollie Davis joined the Group and later became it's Manager and served in that capacity until his death in 1972.
Under the the leadership of Bro. Rollie Davis, the following members united in the Group, Leslie Johnson, Alex Yates, Wilbert Jackson, Rev. Jimmie Harris, Leroy Crisp, Robert Wooten, Lee Mosby, Jesse Lawrence, John Thurman, Wiley Whitfield, Booker Jackson, and Robert McAllister. After the death of Bro. Rollie Davis, Bro. Leroy Crisp took over the rein of Manger that lasted for one year. Bro. Crisp resigned because of the demands of his work. Bro. Register Harris became the the Groups 4th Manager and served in the managers capacity until poor health caused him to resign. The resignation of Bro. Harris through the Group in limbo and caused them to become inactive for several years, until Bro. Leroy Crisp reactivated the Group and under his guidance and leadership the Group flourish once again. Bro. Crisp recruited several new members under his rein that included, Bro. Alonzo Collier, Bro. Larry Williams, Bro. Sylvester Davis, Bro. John Mathis, Rev. Anderson Sparks, Bro. John Wright, Bro. Rodney Richards and Bro. Raphael.
The Southern Harmonizers under the leadership of Bro. Leroy Crisp signed on to the Quinn Records TM label March 6th, 2006. They did not need to submit a demo, because those regular group rehearsal next door to my friend house in 1958 superseded that Company's policy.
Bro. Leroy Crisp served as Manager of the Southern Harmonizers until his death in 2010.
ALBUM: Sixty-three Years Of Service For The Lord
CAT.# : QR 061145-1
UPC :662154652131
GENRE: Gospel
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