The Classic Urban Harmony Archives announces the acquisition of approximately a hundred letters sent to the Four Vagabonds from late 1936 to early 1938. The hugely influential pioneer vocal group was broadcasting from Chicago over nation wide radio at the time, and many of the correspondences are fan letters requesting specific songs or asking for autographed photos. Some business correspondences and personal letters were also found. While the letters have little monetary value, their historical importance is extremely significant. They are expected to open a window of understanding of how the public related to one of our nation’s most significant African American vocal groups during the first real decade of radio. A number of letters ask whether the group is “White or Negro”. One correspondence asks the broadcasting station why they are making the group do skits in “demeaning Negro dialect” between songs. He happened to grow up with the group in St. Louis and knows them to be very articulate. Many fans seem sure the Four Vagabonds are really the Mills Brothers singing under another name. Classic Urban Harmony intends to inventory the letters and make the important ones available to the public through this website or elsewhere. This will take some time, as many letters are faded or written lightly in pencil in barely legible handwriting.
