Deborah Chessler, creative force behind the Orioles, ca. 1950.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives, courtesy of Deborah Chessler)
It is with much sadness that we report the passing of a true
icon in our music and a close friend. Deborah Chessler, manager,
songwriter and mentor to possibly the first true Rhythm & Blues vocal group,
the Orioles, died October 10, 2012, of complications from a heart problem.
She was 89. Deborah's songs, "It's Too Soon To Know," "Tell Me So,"
"Forgive And Forget," and many more brought Sonny Til & the Orioles
instant national fame and kick started the "golden age of the R&B vocal
groups". "It's Too Soon To Know" is regarded by many to be the first R&B
vocal group songs. Without Deborah Chessler, it's likely there would
never have been a doo wop or soul vocal group genre.
A 1993
Rolling Stone article once suggested that Shirley “Deborah Chessler”
Reingold might be “the woman who invented Rock & Roll.” While this
statement could be argued, there’s no question that Deborah Chessler’s
songs of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s rocked the music establishment
of that time and forever changed the face of American popular music. As
the songwriter and creative force behind the legendary vocal quintet,
the Orioles, Deborah Chessler helped shape a new style of music that
would become known as Rhythm & Blues. In few short years, Rhythm &
Blues evolved into Rock & Roll.
Deborah
Chessler was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. At a young age Deborah
started writing songs. During difficult times in her life, it made her feel
better to write, and she was remarkably good at it. Deborah couldn’t read
music, so when she thought of a song she’d seek out friends who could put
the music down on paper. If a song occurred to her in the middle of the
night, she’d stay awake repeating the melody in her mind until morning when
she’d find someone to transcribe it for her. By 1948, Deborah was selling
shoes by day and making the rounds of Baltimore theaters in the evenings,
selling her songs to any singers who would listen. Though she was white,
Deborah visited the white and black theaters of then segregated Baltimore.
It was then that a gentleman called her to ask for help with a young black
vocal group called the Vibranaires, that he was managing. He had the group
sing over the phone and Deborah was hooked. The lead singer, Sonny Til, was
exceptional and the background harmony exquisite. Deborah soon assumed
responsibilities for the group’s career and booked them on the Arthur
Godfrey Talent Scouts radio program. While they finished third, Godfrey
heard from 5000 irate listeners who thought the group should have won. He
brought them back. The group became the Orioles.
The Vibarnaires, forerunners of the Orioles, 1948
Top Row, left to right: Sonny Til, George Nelson,
Alex Sharp, Richard Williams; Bottom: Tommy Gaither
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The Orioles’
first recording was the Deborah Chessler composition, “It’s Too Soon To
Know.” The song was such a departure from the pop-influenced songs of the
day that hundreds of African-American vocal groups immediately changed their
singing styles to sound like the Orioles. In addition, in every urban area
of the country, new vocal groups sprang up on almost every street corner as
black teenagers tried to imitate Sonny Til and the group.
The Song that in 1948 started in all.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The Orioles
quickly became the hottest group in the country, drawing huge crowds and
near riots wherever they went. And the hits kept coming. Deborah’s
compositions “Tell Me So” and “Forgive and Forget” kept the group on top.
Deborah Chessler and her mother toured with the group in the early years,
even throughout the segregated South.
The Orioles, ca. 1949.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives, courtesy of Deborah Chessler)
For six years,
Deborah Chessler managed the Orioles. During that time, the sound that
Deborah and the Orioles created evolved into the Golden Age of Vocal
Groups. In 1954 Deborah Chessler returned to a quieter life in Baltimore,
leaving quite a legacy of music. Virtually all that we know in Rhythm &
Blues and Soul harmony can be ultimately linked to Deborah Chessler and the
Orioles.
Shirley Reingold (Deborah Chessler was a pen name) was a good
friend to us. We spent countless hours with Shirley and her husband
Paul, most recently when we interviewed her on stage at the Rock & Roll Hall
of Fame and museum in Cleveland on February 9, 2009. To read about that
event visit
R&R Hall
of Fame
Interview with
Orioles' Deborah
Chessler and Pam's article on it from Echoes of the Past,
Orioles'
Deborah Chessler.
Pam & Charlie Horner, Deborah Chessler
at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame & Museum, 2009
Charlie & Deborah on stage at the Rock Hall, 2009
On the screen, a photo of the sheet music to "It's Too Soon To Know"
Shirley "Deborah Chessler" Reingold passed away on Wednesday,
October 10, 2012. She was a good friend to us and we'll miss her.
Our condolences to her husband Paul and daughter Wendy. The world has
lost one of the most important figures in popular music. Deborah was the
last of the original Orioles. This is truly the end of an era.
Copyright © Classic Urban Harmony LLC, 2008
- 2012. All
Rights Reserved.
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