Deep River Boys

The Deep River Boys
Origin	Hampton, Virginia, United States
Genres	Christian
Past members
Harry Douglas Vernon Gardner George Lawson Jimmy Lundy Edward Ware

The Deep River Boys were an American gospel music group active from the mid 1930s and into the 1980s. The group performed spirituals, gospel, and R&B.

Members

The original group consisted of Harry Douglass (baritone), Vernon Gardner (first tenor), George Lawson (second tenor) and Edward Ware (bass). George Lawson was replaced by William James (Jimmy) Lundy in 1950.

From 1950 Jimmy Lundy (first tenor), Vernon Gardner (second tenor).

Musical career

The group began at Hampton Institute (now known as Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia. Their 1948 song Recess in Heaven became their first hit.

They appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, held command performances before the Queen of the United Kingdom (in the 1960s), and US President Dwight D Eisenhower.^{[citation needed]} They also performed with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Count Basie, Fats Waller, Charlie Christian and Thelma Carpenter.

In Europe they were especially popular in countries like Sweden and Norway from the 1950s and upwards, appearing on numerous TV shows, even releasing several hit-singles performing songs in Swedish and Norwegian. As late as the 1970s they recorded a Norwegian language version of the Norwegian hit song Ratiti. The group continued to tour into the early eighties.

The last surviving early member of the group, Jimmy Lundy, lived in Portsmouth, Virginia, and died in October 2007 in Maryview Hospital in Portsmouth Virginia.

Two later members of the group are still alive: Ronnie Bright was the bass of the Deep River Boys 1964-1968. After leaving the group he went to the Coasters, from which he has now retired. Eddie Whaley Jr was tenor of the Deeps 1969-1971. He was born in Brighton, England and lives in Florida.

External links

• Deep River Boys at Allmusic
• The Deep River Boys at the Internet Movie Database