The Caravans

The Caravans was a gospel group popular during the 1950s and 1960s that launched the careers of a number of artists, including: Albertina Walker, Bessie Griffin, Cassietta George, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews and Shirley Caesar. While the group had gone through constant changes in personnel in its heyday, the group's popularity dimmed in 1966. The group disbanded in the 1970s, reforming occasionally for reunions with its last surving members: Albertina Walker, Dorothy Norwood, Delores Washington, Shirley Caesar, and Inez Andrews.

Walker founded the group in 1952 in Chicago, Illinois with Ora Lee Hopkins, Elyse Yancey and Nellie Grace Daniels. Walker was the featured singer on the records that the first version of the Caravans made, which had the measured style typical of artists influenced by Roberta Martin. One of the Caravan's favorit hit's "Lord Keep Me Day By Day" features Ms. Walker on lead vocals.

That changed, however, as other singers joined the group, which retained the close harmonies and precise rhythms of the original group, but now allowed each member the opportunity to solo on alternating leads. At their height in the late 1950s the Caravans combined the energetic, agile alto of Shirley Caesar on songs such as "I'm Not Tired Yet" with the powerful contralto of Inez Andrews on "Mary Don't You Weep."

Bessie Griffin joined the group in 1953, but left after a year. Cassietta George joined in 1954 and likewise stayed only a year, but returned in 1960 for another five years. Norwood joined in 1955 and left in the late 1950s, forming her own group, the Norwood Singers. Inez Andrews joined, at the suggestion of James Cleveland, the pianist and arranger for the group, in 1957 and also left in 1962 to form her own group and then solo. Shirley Caesar joined the Caravans in 1958 and left to pursue a solo career in 1966.

Albertina Walker recently recorded a reunion album with her group The Caravans entilted "Paved The Way", which was released by Malaco Records September 5, 2006. The group consisted of Albertina Walker, Dorothy Norwood, Inez Andrews, and Delores Washington. The album was dubbed by Billboard Magazine as one of the most memorable releases of 2006 (Deborah Evans Price, Dec. 9, 2006) and entered the Billboard charts in the top ten and has remained in the top forty for sixteen weeks. "Paved the Way" was recently nominated for a Grammy, Dove, & Soul Train Music Award.

Members

• Albertina Walker 1952-1969
• Ora Lee Hopkins 1952-1954
• Nellie Grace Daniels 1952-1954
• Elyse Yancey 1952-1954
• Bessie Griffin 1953-1954
• Sarah McKissock 1956-1958
• Shirley Caesar 1958-1966
• Inez Andrews1957-1962 and 1964-1966
• Rev. James Cleveland 1953-1956
• Cassietta George1954-1956 and 1958-1966
• Dorothy Norwood 1956-1957 and 1964-1966
• Delores Washington 1958-1966
• Josephin Howard 1962?-1966
• Loleatta Holloway 1968-1969
• Doris Willingham (aka Doris Duke 1968- 1969)

Hit songs

• Paved The Way
• Remember Me
• Ain't Got Tired Yet
• Lord Keep Me Day by Day
• Mary Don't You Weep
• I Know The Lord Will Make A Way
• I'm Willing
• Show Some Sign
• I Won't Be Back
• Make It In

Further reading

• Heilbut, Tony, The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times Limelight Editions, 1997, ISBN 0-87910-034-6.
• Horace Clarence Boyer, How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel Elliott and Clark, 1995, ISBN 0-252-06877-7.

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