The Jubalaires were an gospel group active during the 1940s and 1950s. The group initially went by the name the Royal Harmony Singers, as far back as 1936 and under that name reached #10 on the R&B charts in November 1942, with “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”, a song adapted from the speech of a naval chaplain in response to the attack on Pearl Harbour the previous year. They are also remembered for their rhythmic rhyming verses, which would later evolve into rapping.
n 1946, the Jubalaires secured a spot on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS Radio Show. Willie Johnson left the Golden Gate Quartet to take the lead of the group in 1948, and in 1950 the band appeared in the musical comedy film Duchess of Idaho. The Jubalaires performing a version of “The Preacher and the Bear” Much of the Jubalaires’ music was initially issued by Queen Records; later reissues appeared on King Records proper. The band recorded with Andy Kirk in November 1945, a session which produced the Decca Records 78rpm release “I Know/Get Together with the Lord”, and credited to Andy Kirk & His Orchestra With The Jubalaires. A third track recorded during the session, “Soothe Me”, went unreleased.
The Jubalaires’ record “Dreaming of the Ladies in the Moon” attracted the praise of Billboard magazine which gave the record a mark of 78/100 in the 17 April 1954 issue, commenting that “The boys here come thru with a strong reading on a bright ballad with an evocative flavor.” The reviewer compared the Jubalaires’ treatment of the song with the style of the Mills Borthers and predicted it could become a break-out hit. Billboard also praised the group’s performance on the release “David and Goliath/I’ve Done My Work” in the 15 December 1951 issue, as well as their performance, but in more muted terms, on “Rain is the Teardrops of Angels/Keep on Doin’ What You’re Doin'” in the 4 August 1951 issue.
The group gained some modern popularity when in 2018, a performance of the song “Noah” with the Orville Brooks—Ted Brooks—J.C. Ginyard—George McFadden line-up was remixed and uploaded to YouTube by “MarksmaN Official Page” as “1940s Rapping But wait for ittttt”. Possibly apocryphally, the group was considered by some to be the first rap group. Whether or not they count as rap, YouTube videos featuring the group have comments which praise the group for their ability and being ahead of their time.
