Formed in 1929, the Southernaires were a black gospel vocal quartet that found success via the radio, without making much of an impact in the area of phonograph record sales. The group consisted of tenor singer Homer Quincy Smith (b. 1902, Florence, Alabama, USA), second tenor Lowell Peters (b. 3 March 1903, Cleveland, Tennessee, USA), baritone Jay Stone Toney (b. September 1896, Columbia, Tennessee, USA) and bass singer/narrator William W. Edmunson (b. 15 October 1902, Spokane, Washington, USA). They made their first radio appearance in October 1930 in New York City and gradually established a large following for their regular programmes. In 1933 they added pianist Clarence Jones (b. c.1880s, Wilmingon, Ohio, USA) to the group. That year they started to perform in a dramatic radio series called The Little Weatherbeaten, Whitewashed Church, which lasted over 10 years and was syndicated nationwide. Although they recorded for Decca Records beginning in 1939, the recordings did not sell very well. Following World War II, the group shifted its emphasis from radio to concert appearances, with Ray Yeates replacing Smith. They briefly had their own television programme in 1948, and by 1951 only one original member, Edmunson, remained. The Southernaires, organized ca 1930, were an American popular vocal group in radio broadcasting of the 1930s and 1940s. They were known for their renditions of spirituals and work songs. In 1942, they won a widely publicized case of hotel discrimination. Their best known recording, "Nobody Knows De Trouble I've Seen", was released by Decca (2859-B) in 1939. Pianist-arranger Spencer Odom replaced their previous accompanist, Clarence M. Jones, the same year. In 1948-49, they hosted a 30-minute show, The Southernaires Quartet, Sundays at 7:30pm ET on the American Broadcasting Company television network. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.