Various
Soul Harmony R&b Is Born; Story Of Deborah Chessier...
"Soul Harmony," the musical, is the moving and emotional yet triumphant true story of a vocal group and their songwriter manager who invented Rhythm & Blues. It is difficult to imagine what popular music would be like today, had it not been for the groundbreaking songs of Deborah Chessler, Sonny Til and the Orioles. This remarkable musical takes the audience from the streets of Baltimore in 1948 to the stage of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, 47 years later. Along the way, there's adversity, tragedy and triumph. This original cast recording, "Soul Harmony: R&B Is Born" does an amazing job of recreating the musical for the listener through dialog and song. Taken from a live performance, the sound quality is superb and the songs are breathtaking recreations of a vintage songbook, with a modern twist.The show captures the music and confusion in America during the late 40s and early 50's. Interspersed with show-stopping musical performances by the ensemble cast is a tale of racial tensions and an improbable team of five talented African-American R&B singers with their equally talented female Jewish writer-manager. The show depicts not only the racial issues that bedevil American history but also the color-blindness of talented artists. In telling the all but forgotten story of Deborah Chessler and The Orioles,Soul Harmony takes us back to the birth of Rock and Roll.Chessler was the group's manager, which was significant as she was white and in her early 20s.Her mother Irene helped managing and touring with the group, which she did through the mid-'50s. So imagine two white Jewish women and five young black harmony singers birthing a new genre of music and facing the challenges of anti-Semitism and racism of the time.They brought people together through their music. The group reached massive success with songs like "Crying in the Chapel," "Tell Me So" and their first hit song "It's To Soon To Know"...Their success put the Apollo Theater on the map!