Search - Deep River Boys :: London Harmony

The Mighty Deeps

Alfred Carter | Alexandria, VA USA | 07/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan of close vocal harmony singing, you owe it to yourself to purchase this 2-CD set to hear this group at the height of its power. You will hear why they were much loved as performers in live concerts and why other countries, especially England, Canada, and Sweden fell in love with them. The vocals are lush, elegant, and tight, and show the Deep River Boys' unmistakeable stamp on each tune. No wonder they were selected as part of the program for a Royal Perfromance for the Queen of England in November 1952; no wonder they were asked to perform for President Eisenhower in 1955 at the White House. It's hard for me to pick highlights because the whole thing is one big highlight. Lead singer and baritone Harry Douglass' voice is like butter throughout (he is on every cut.) Edward Ware's smoky bass undergirds a good thirty-five songs, and Carter Wilson's's first tenor (and falsetto) can ring out like a clarion call. Ok I said I was not going to pick highlights and I won't, BUT I will pick uniqueness--listen to "Eli Eli", lugubrious and showing the Deep's connection to the spirituals, and to "Adam Never Had No Mammy," it could cause tears to well up in your eyes because of the topic, gorgeously sung. Finally, praise must be heaped on the person(s) who went back into the EMI/HMV vaults, found these masters, and decided they must be reissued on CD. A great service has been done for fans of this kind of music everywhere."

Great hearing the Deep River Boys once more!

karin the music lover | 10/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a great find! As I was browsing last May I put their name in and found that this rerelease was about to appear. The voices and rythm of these performers are unmatched for their genre. Performing through Europe in the fifties they were well liked and appreciated for their musicality and depth of knowledge of the American Spirituals as well as popular songs.

Where are they now?"