The Philharmonics were a versatile

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

vocal quintet from

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

who became successful despite origins in a then-racially-intolerant town and era. They were at their peak in the 1950s and performed across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The group could adapt to many styles of music from

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 ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

and pop to

country and Western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, or d ...

. They had splendid harmony, choreography, a colorful wardrobe and an impeccable stage presence. The group was originally a quartet, composed of Homer "Jolly" Boyd (deceased), George Culp (bass), Elbridge "Old Man" Moss (deceased), and Clarence "Chick" Rice (baritone) (deceased). Joe Neal Hardin (deceased) was an earlier member. The group became a quintet with the addition of James Logan (tenor) (deceased). Their roots were in

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

. Moss, from Kentucky, performed with vocal groups during his World War II service in the US Army. Upon discharge, he visited his brother in Springfield, met and married a local girl, and moved to the town in the mid-1940s. He met the others in the choir at Gibson Chapel Church where they performed with pianist Florence Sample Thompson. Boyd was 17 and in high school when he joined. In the early 1950s, the group won twice on a talent show on

CBS-TV CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

, '' The Original Youth Opportunity Program'', hosted by

Horace Heidt Horace Heidt (May 21, 1901 – December 1, 1986) was an American pianist, big band leader, and radio and television personality. His band, Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, toured vaudeville and performed on radio and television during the 19 ...

, which showcased young performers from across the country. They also toured with the show. The Philharmonics, nicknamed the Phils, were regularly featured on ABC's nationally broadcast television show, ''

Ozark Jubilee ''Ozark Jubilee'' is a 1950s American television program that featured country music's top stars of the day. It was produced in Springfield, Missouri. The weekly live stage show premiered on ABC-TV on January 22, 1955, was renamed ''Country Mu ...

'', from 1955 to 1960 and provided background vocals for many of the

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

stars on the program. They also appeared on ABC's ''

The Eddy Arnold Show ''The Eddy Arnold Show'' is the name of three similar American television summer variety show, variety programs during the 1950s hosted by Eddy Arnold and featuring popular music stars of the day. It was also the name of a radio program starrin ...

'' in 1956, and briefly had their own show on Springfield's

KYTV-TV KYTV (channel 3) is a television station in Springfield, Missouri, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Gray Media alongside American Broadcasting Company, ABC affiliate KSPR-LD (channel 33) and Branson, Missouri, Branson-license ...

. They recorded on the Cardinal Records label.Ozark Jubilee ad (November 12, 1955), ''

The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. History It was discovered in November 193 ...

'', p. 117 Their singles included "Teen Town Hop" and "That's Why I'm Losing You", both written by Moss. Boyd and Culp performed at the 2007 Ozarks Celebration Festival at

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

. In 2008, the group was honored with a star on the Missouri Walk of Fame in Marshfield.

Notes

References

* ''Ozark Jubilee Souvenir Picture Album'' (first edition, 1955) * ''Ozark Jubilee Souvenir Picture Album'' (second edition, 1956), © Ozark Jubilee's Crossroads Store *.

External links

The Philharmonics perform "Swing Down Chariot" at Missouri State University in 2008

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philharmonics, The Culture of Springfield, Missouri American gospel musical groups 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers American vocal groups