Biography
The Four Vagabonds were an African American vocal harmony quartet formed in 1933 by students at Vashon High School in St. Louis, Missouri, where lead tenor John Jordan and baritone Norval Taborn first sang together in the school glee club before recruiting first tenor Robert O’Neal and bass/guitarist Ray Grant Jr. to complete the group.[1][2] Within weeks of rehearsing, they secured a daily radio program on WEW, the University of St. Louis station, then moved to station WIL for a sponsored show for the Missouri Insurance Company, steadily honing their close-harmony style under Taborn’s direction as primary arranger.[1] Their name, “The Four Vagabonds,” was adopted early on when they needed a billing for church performances accompanying the religious film Christus, and it stuck as they began to travel widely through the Midwest and along the East Coast.[1]
In 1936 the quartet relocated to Chicago for an NBC audition and soon became radio regulars, most notably on Don McNeill’s nationally popular Breakfast Club, where they performed pop songs and spirituals and built a vast repertoire that reportedly reached about 1,500 tunes by the early 1940s.[1][6] Their tight, jazz-inflected harmonies, rhythmic swing feel, and skill at vocally imitating instruments made them pioneers of 1940s vocal group style and early R&B and jive, and in 1941 Victor’s Bluebird label brought them into the studio for several sessions, though under flat-fee arrangements that left them without royalties.[1][3][6] By the mid‑1940s they were widely heard on radio across the United States and became a model for later Black vocal groups, yet, like many early harmony quartets, their fame dimmed in later decades even as specialists continued to regard them as one of the most influential vocal groups of the first half of the 20th century.[6]
Musically, The Four Vagabonds were known for smooth, close-knit harmony parts crafted largely by Norval Taborn, who was praised within the group as a “genius with harmony.”[1] They frequently arranged charts that allowed them to act as an all‑vocal dance band, with Taborn taking “trumpet” lines, Jordan and O’Neal supplying “trombone” parts, and Ray Grant covering the “bass fiddle,” anticipating later vocal instrument imitation trends in doo‑wop and jazz vocal ensembles.[1][6] Their blend of swing, early R&B, and pop, delivered through daily radio exposure rather than touring big‑band circuits, gave them a lasting but somewhat understated legacy: they helped define the sound and possibilities of small-group Black vocal harmony on national radio, laying groundwork for postwar vocal groups who would carry similar techniques into the rhythm and blues and doo‑wop eras.[6]
Fun Facts
- The original members chose the name “The Four Vagabonds” on short notice when they needed a billing for church programs where they sang background music to the religious film Christus; no one could later remember exactly who first suggested it.[1]
- Within only about three weeks of first rehearsing together while still in high school, The Four Vagabonds had already landed their own daily radio show on WEW, the University of St. Louis station.[1]
- By around 1942 the group reportedly maintained a repertoire of some 1,500 songs, adding every new hit as a matter of course while still doing about 90% of their own vocal arrangements.[1]
- In performance, each singer often mimicked a specific band instrument: Norval Taborn acted as the “trumpet,” John Jordan and Robert O’Neal covered “trombone” lines, and Ray Grant Jr. handled the “bass fiddle,” creating a full band texture using only voices.[1][6]
Members
- Raymond Grant, Jr. - bass vocals, guitar, original (from 1933 until 1949)
- John Jordan - lead vocals, original (from 1933 until 1952)
- Robert O'Neal - original, tenor vocals (from 1933 until 1952)
- Norval Taborn - baritone vocals, original (from 1933 until 1952)
- Bill Sanford - bass vocals, guitar (from 1949 until 1949)
- Frank Houston - bass vocals (from 1949 until 1952)
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Vashon High School Glee Club staff (collective) - Early choral training and ensemble experience for all four original members while they sang together in the school glee club before forming the quartet. (School glee club repertoire (pre‑1933, not commercially recorded).) [Early 1930s]
Key Collaborators
- Don McNeill - Host of the nationally broadcast radio program Breakfast Club, on which The Four Vagabonds appeared regularly, performing multiple songs per show and gaining national exposure. (Regular performances on NBC’s Breakfast Club (including pop songs and spirituals).) [Mid‑1930s through at least early 1940s[1][6]]
- NBC Radio - Network that hired, managed, and regularly broadcast the group on various programs, including Breakfast Club, effectively acting as their manager and conduit to a national audience. (Daily NBC network radio appearances and variety programs featuring the quartet.[1][6]) [From 1936 through the 1940s]
- Victor Records (Bluebird subsidiary) - Record label that contracted the group for multiple recording sessions after hearing them on radio, capturing their radio repertoire for commercial release. (Four recording sessions for Victor/Bluebird under flat‑fee arrangements.[1][6]) [Beginning in 1941]
- Missouri Insurance Company - Sponsor of their WIL radio program in St. Louis, providing steady income and airtime that helped the group refine its sound before moving to national radio. (Sponsored Sunday radio show on WIL, St. Louis.[1]) [Mid‑1930s (approximately 2.5 years)[1]]
Artists Influenced
- Mid‑century vocal harmony and early R&B groups (collective) - Later vocal groups drew on the Four Vagabonds’ techniques such as tight close‑harmony voicings, vocal imitation of instruments, and radio‑friendly swing/R&B arrangements. (Postwar doo‑wop and R&B recordings that employ instrumental vocal effects and four‑part swing‑based harmony, reflecting approaches pioneered by The Four Vagabonds.[6]) [Late 1940s–1950s and beyond]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Four Vagabonds Vol. 1 (1941-1951) | 1999 | Album |
| Four Vagabonds Vol. 3 (1943) | 1999 | Album |
| Four Vagabonds Vol. 2 (1942-1943) | 1999 | Album |
| Rosie the Riveter | 2015-05-07 | Album |
| Yesteryear's Memories: the Apollo Sessions | 2009-02-10 | Album |
| Moonlight Mood | 2021-10-14 | Album |
| Slow and Easy | 2021-09-10 | Album |
Top Tracks
- Rosie The Riveter (Four Vagabonds Vol. 1 (1941-1951))
- Comin' In On A Wing And A Prayer (Four Vagabonds Vol. 1 (1941-1951))
- Hit That Jive, Jack (Four Vagabonds Vol. 3 (1943))
- "Murder" He Says (Four Vagabonds Vol. 3 (1943))
- A G.I. Wish (Remember Pearl Harbor: Classic Songs Of World War II)
- Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer (Remember Pearl Harbor: Classic Songs Of World War II)
- The Duke Of Dubuque (Four Vagabonds Vol. 1 (1941-1951))
- Hit That Jive, Jack (The Very Best Of)
- Comin' In on a Wing and a Prayer (Kiss The Boys Goodbye (Classic Songs From World War II) - Volume One)
- A G.I. Wish (American Country Celebration)
External Links
References
Heard on WWOZ
The Four Vagabonds has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 8, 2025 | 01:02 | Comin' In On a Wing and a Prayer | The Dean's Listw/ Dean Ellis |