The Norfleet Brothers

• Genres: Gospel

Biography

The Norfleet Brothers began singing on the family farm in Marion, AL. At first it was just two brothers (Peter and Arthur), but three other brothers soon joined. They could have formed a double-quintet with five additional female voices, as there were 15 Norfleet siblings on the farm (ten boys and five girls). World War II caused a forced hiatus when the older brothers were drafted, splitting up the group, though the individual brothers kept sharp by singing with other groups.

The brothers finished their duty by 1946 and regrouped to burn rubber all over the South and the Midwest. They soon settled in Chicago, IL, to take advantage of better jobs and opportunities for African-Americans. They still toured the gospel circuit, but made the Christ Temple Baptist Church their religious base. Despite all the siblings, the Norfleet Brothers weren't entirely family; Willie Wilson sung with them for a while and bass singer George Taylor was a long time member. After leaving the group, Wilson spearheaded a weekly television show in Chicago, the Jubilee Showcase, which featured the Norfleet Brothers and other local and national gospel acts. The television show was filmed in the showroom of a Pontiac dealership owned by the host of the show Mr. Scott; other acts included the Heavenly Sunbeams (the Emotions), a young Chaka Khan, and the Edwin Hawkins Singers. The singing brothers also appeared on two radio programs every Sunday and were in constant demand for appearances.

The popular group recorded their first and only album, Shadrach, in 1964 on Checker Records, the 12-song LP featured their popular rendition of "Shadrach," their beautiful arrangement of "None But the Righteous," and an original composition "Live the Life." The out-of-print delight is hard to find but well worth the search. Why this album hasn't been reissued on CD remains a mystery to all who have heard the tunes and witnessed the Norfleet Brothers live.

It's possible they made some singles before the Checker album, but it's known they made a few afterwards, including "I Got Jesus on My Mind" for Chi-town DJ Al Bensons' Divine Grace Records and two for labels owned by Vi Muszynski (the record lady): "Standing on the Highway" b/w "Draw Me Nearer" on Bandera Records and a rare EP comprised of "Jonah," remakes of "None but the Righteous" and "Shadrach," and "Child of the King." You can find "None but the Righteous" on a compilation of Chess gospel of the same name. Nobody can name all the Norfleet Brothers, but Joseph and Nathaniel -- the two surviving Norfleet Brothers -- sang with the group along with Peter, Arthur, and George Taylor -- the classic Norfleet Brothers' lineup. An R&B group, Little Ben & the Cheers, a hot local group who recorded a slew of singles that didn't hit, were comprised of the offspring of the various Nortleet Brothers and sisters. ~ Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide