Written by Ahbri Graves
When you think of a quartet, the first thing that might cross your mind is a barbershop quartet. They were quite popular in the early 19th century and they gained and lost and regained popularity over the decades. They usually consist of 4 (or more) people and it’s a group that sings in harmony completely acapella. On the African American Side of things, there were quite a few successful groups. The Golden Gate Quartet was an all-male Negro quartet that blended the styles of spirituals. jazz, and barbershop to have their own unique sound. I truly believe their popularity wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the Jubilee Fisk Singers who came together in the late 1800s to raise money for their school, Fisk University. They traveled around and sang spirituals and were well received. This was a coed singing group which I like to think of as monumental for this time considering women truly didn’t have rights like that.
With the popularity of these quartets, the lesser known groups were almost erased. For example, the Wheaton Street Female Quartet, a group of six unlike the name suggests, is mostly unheard of. This group of women were based out of the Wheat Street Baptist church in the in Atlanta. They were the nation’s pioneer women group in a male dominated genre. The group recorded for Columbia Records and Okeh Records in 1925-1926 but unfortunately the names of these women is lost to history. There isn’t even photographic evidence that the group existed. All we have is the sound of their voices and there is something so poetic about that. The voices of these women carries on in the likes of negro spirituals such as “Go Down Moses”, “Wheel in the Wheel [Ezekiel Saw the Wheel]”, “When the Saints Go Marching In”, and more.
This is not the first time this has happened to a group. The Virginia Female Jubilee Singers recorded with Okeh Records in 1921 but, just like the Wheaton Street group, not much is known about them. No names, no pictures. Just their voices carry on their almost forgotten legacy and there’s something quite poetic about that. When all else is gone, the voice carries on. This entire situation is just so unfortunate because if I had to guess, I’d believe all the white male singers of that time were accounted for and got the flowers they may or may not have deserved. History seems to be too comfortable with erasing Black women from history even when they have contributed so much. From activism, to science, to music, Black women have proved time and time again that they are integral to their respective fields, but people aren’t ready to hear it.
