The Norfolk Jubilee was the best-known and most influential group of this sort to emerge from Virginia. Norfolk Jubilee was founded by bass singer Len Williams and baritone Delroy Hollins the Norfolks were performing in public as early as 1919 with Otto Tutson and James “Buddy” Butts singing tenor. Hollins acted as manager for the quartet and rehearsed them at home in his living room. During the early ’20s they were mainly specializing in blues and jazz but also capable of singing gospel. From the get-go their signature sound was shaped by Len Williams, who anchored each song with scat-like rhythmic patterns in the bass clef which were strongly influenced by the jazz music of the day. The Norfolks cut their first records for Okeh in 1921 and appeared in a variety of shows.
