The Trumpeteers were a gospel group led by Joseph Johnson, who enjoyed their most significant and high-profile years in the post-war decades and are best-known for their stunning debut in 1948 with the million-selling No. 8 R&B hit “Milky White Way”. Formed in Baltimore, Maryland, in the immediate post-war years, they adopted the jubilee style of The Golden Gate Quartet, and soon got a regular spot on local radio, graduating to CBS Radio, which led to a contract with the Aladdin label. Their signing led to the launch of Aladdin’s gospel-focused subsidiary label Score. This 53-track 2-CD collection comprises selected A & B sides of their releases from their debut through to 1959 on the Score, Okeh, Nashboro, Grand and Gotham labels, including titles recorded with The Harmonising Four, and recordings as The CBS Trumpeteers. It naturally includes that million-seller “Milky White Way”, as well as a re-recording for Nashboro ten years later. This set represents as substantial an overview of the primary era of their career as we could achieve, and certainly offers a great showcase for their particular approach to gospel during what was something of a golden era for the genre.
