The Greenhill Singers - Kumbaya

Topic: Commercial Folk Revival
After the cancellation of the Hootenanny television program in September 1964, critics attributed the decline of the commercial folk-music revival to the popularity of The Beatles, who had appeared on Ed Sullivan’s program in February 1964. [1]

This was true only if one used Billboard as a guideline. Its popular music charts were simple statistics of sales by genre, with no concern for the audience. In 1964, the audience for the Beatles was teenyboppers, while that for the commercial folk-music revival always had been college-age listeners. The math was simple: there were more young girls buying single records than older students. [2]

Folk-revival music did change during the time Hootenanny was on the air. The new performers were more likely to be soloists, like Judy Collins, [3] than male trios and quartets. Innovative small-group vocal music became the domain of Motown artists like the Four Tops and the Temptations.

The original commercial folk-music style survived as a genre, like polka music, that was produced by unknown artists for budget labels sold in bargain bins both by record stores and non-conventional retailers like truck stops and gift shops.

United Artists Records was established in 1957 to market film soundtracks. [4] In early 1963, it released five albums for audiences that had come of age when songs were more important that performers. Each album contained fifty songs. [5]

The performers were experienced instrumentalists who could prepare material quickly and efficiently. Two had popularized theme songs: Al Caiola played guitar on the Bonanza theme in 1961, [6] while Ferrante and Teicher had released the themes from two UA films in 1960, The Apartment [7] and Exodus. [8] The other albums were by Ralph Marterie, who had played trumpet with own band after World War II, [9] and Tito Rodríguez, who had been a poplar Puerto Rican singer in the 1950s. [10]

The record devoted to songs of the folk-music revival was produced by Sonny Lester. He probably used a group of session musicians who were dubbed The Greenhill Singers. When he worked for MGM’s budget line, "he would head to France, book Eddie Barclay’s studio for the better part of two months, and record a years’ worth of easy listening, anonymous rock and roll covers, and other material for the MGM and Lion labels." [11]

While four of the albums used medleys to present fifty songs in forty minutes, the folk songs were given individual treatments. Most were recorded with simple harmonies, often with guitar accompaniments influenced by country music. However, "Midnight Special" used syncopation and "Hard Traveling" relied upon southern, white, gospel quartet techniques. "Kumbaya" incorporated vocal homophony with two women singing the melody and two men countering with an arcing bum-bum-bum-bum-bum rhythm part.

The Greenhill Singers’ lyrics were borrowed from The Weavers, with "sleeping" changed to "sleepy." It was sandwiched between other songs popularized by The Weavers: "The Wreck of the John B." [12] and "Wimoweh." [13] "John B." followed a series of sea chanties.

Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: women and men
Instrumental Accompaniment: harpsichord-style
Rhythm Accompaniment: drum
Producer: Sonny Lester

Credits
None given

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: kum ba ya
Verses: sleepy

Vocabulary
Pronoun: someone
Term for Deity: none
Special Terms: "na na" for "Lord"

Basic Form: one-verse song
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: none
Unique Features: none
Influences: The Weavers

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Tempo: moderate

Basic Structure: homophony, with women singing melody and men singing "bum-bum-bum-bum-bum" rhythm

Singing Style: one syllable to one note

Notes on Performers
Sonny Lester, like Caiola and Marterie, was a journeyman musician in the Big Band era. He wasn’t a good enough trumpeter to be placed in a military band, and so spent World War II in the infantry. [14]

After the war, Lester married and settled in New York. Rather than tour with a band, he became an arranger, finally finding steady work with the Edwin Morris Music publishing company. From there, he became a producer for Coral and Dot Records. By the time he produced 50 Fabulous Folk Favorites, he was doing free-lance work. He later became involved with United Artists’ jazz division. [15]

Availability
Album: The Greenhill Singers. "Kumbaya." 50 Fabulous Folk Favorites. United Artists UAL 3347. 1964.

End Notes
1. Wikipedia. "Hootenanny (American TV Series)" and "The Beatles."

2. The term "teenybopper" was coined in 1965 to describe the audience for "The Beatles." [16]

3. Judy Collins appeared on Hootenanny one time in the first season and twice in the second. [17] She didn’t have a single record in Billboard’s top ten until "Both Sides Now" in 1968. [18]

4. Wikipedia. "United Artists Records."
5. "‘Winter Magic’ UA Message." Billboard. 11 January 1964. 3.

6. Wikipedia. "Al Caiola."

The album was Al Caiola And His Orchestra. 50 Fabulous Guitar Favorites. United Artist Records UAL 3330. 1964.

The single was "Bonanza." United Artists UA 302. 1961. [19]

7. Steve Huey. "Ferrante & Teicher." All Music website.

The album was Ferrante and Teicher. 50 Fabulous Piano Favorites. United Artist Records UAL 3343. 1964.

The film was The Apartment. Directed by Billy Wilder. United Artist. 1960. [20]

The single was "Theme From The Apartment." United Artists UA 231. 1960. [21]

8. The film was Exodus. Directed by Otto Preminger. United Artists. 1960. [22]

The single was "Exodus." United Artists UA 274. 1960. [23]

9. "Ralph Marterie Biography." Oldies website.

The album was The Famous Ralph Marterie Orchestra. 50 Fabulous Dance Favorites. United Artist Records UAL 3349. 1964.

10. Wikipedia. "Tito Rodríguez."

The album was Tito Rodriguez And His Orchestra. 50 Fabulous Latin Favorites. United Artists Records UAL 3345. 1964.

11. "Sonny Lester." Space Age Pop website.
12. The Weavers. "John B." Decca 27332. December 1950. [24]
13. The Weavers. "Wimoweh." Decca 27928. 1951. [25]
14. Space Age Pop.
15. Space Age Pop.
16. Dave Wilton. "1966 Words." Word Origins website. 15 April 2012.
17. "Hootenanny." Episode Calendar website.
18. Wikipedia. "Judy Collins."
19. "Al Caiola And His Orchestra – Bonanza. United Artists Records." Discogs website.
20. Wikipedia. "The Apartment."

21. "Ferrante And Teicher With Their Orch. & Chorus – Theme From The Apartment." Discogs website.

22. Wikipedia. "Exodus (1960 Film)."
23. "Ferrante And Teicher – Exodus / Twilight." Discogs website.
24. "The Weavers – The Roving Kind / (The Wreck Of The) John B." Discogs website.

25. "The Weavers And Gordon Jenkins And His Chorus And Orchestra – Old Paint (Ride Around Little Dogies) / Wimoweh." Discogs website.