Rev. Julius "June" Cheeks (August 7, 1929January 27, 1981) was an American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

singer, who enjoyed the majority of his success with The Sensational Nightingales.

Biography

In 1954, he became a preacher but continued performing full-time until 1960. His children are Rae-Sheaun Cheeks, June Cheeks and his daughter is singer Judy Cheeks.

Musical career

Cheeks began singing in the second grade, quitting school to pick cotton and work service stations. He joined a local gospel group dubbed the Baronets and in 1946 he was spotted by the Rev. B.L. Parks, a former Dixie Hummingbird and tapped to join a group called the Nightingales. At the height of their popularity they cut several sides for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

. To make ends meet Cheeks briefly joined the Soul Stirrers, rejoining the Nightingales during the early 1950s. During the 1950s, the Nightingales had a number of hits including "Somewhere to Lay My Head" and "The Last Mile of the Way". Due to popularity, they rechristened themselves the Sensational Nightingales. In the 1950s, Cheeks was ordained as a minister in the Church of Holiness Science in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

; Cheeks, who had dropped out of school at an early age, was largely

illiterate Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

for most of his life, but developed a profound knowledge of the Bible via recordings on 78rpm gramophone discs. During this time Cheeks also toured and recorded with the

Mighty Clouds of Joy The Mighty Clouds of Joy were an American traditional gospel music quartet. Career The Mighty Clouds of Joy was formed in 1959 in Los Angeles as a tradition-based style group. It wasn't until 1961 as the group became famous, they added bass, ...

.''People Get Ready!'', Bob Darden After going into semi-retirement in 1960, Cheeks returned to action with a new group, the Four Knights.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheeks, Julius 1929 births 1981 deaths American gospel singers Singers from South Carolina Decca Records artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers