The Singers Unlimited

This vocal quartet originally started life as an extension of jazz band <a href="spotify:artist:2kWLLhh4T2mAW9kYuVbd7k">the Hi-Lo’s</a>. From that prominent '50s band came Don Shelton, who decided to form Singers Unlimited after <a href="spotify:artist:2kWLLhh4T2mAW9kYuVbd7k">the Hi-Lo’s</a> broke up in 1964. After retreating to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked on a series of television commercials, he enlisted fellow <a href="spotify:artist:2kWLLhh4T2mAW9kYuVbd7k">Hi-Lo’s</a> veteran <a href="spotify:artist:0WDM1hhM4ykv5QFvXoxHcC">Gene Puerling</a> of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to join him in the city in 1967. The group was formed along with Len Dresslar and Bonnie Herman, with the express intention of recording commercials in the doo wop/vocal group idiom. Shelton’s connections in the industry ensured the group was able to exploit the market successfully, and lucrative work rolled in. However, the 30-second snatches of songs hardly satisfied their artistic ambitions, and when they found themselves with studio time left over after one session, they recorded a take on <a href="spotify:artist:3WrFJ7ztbogyGnTHbHJFl2">the Beatles</a>' "The Fool on the Hill." Through visiting jazz pianist <a href="spotify:artist:6zkX5fhrSD4tdVOmimR9wB">Oscar Peterson</a>, the demo of the a cappella recording was passed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22MPS+Records%22">MPS Records</a> in Germany. As a consequence, the Singers Unlimited, as the group had named themselves, found themselves with their own recording contract. An album of standards followed in 1972, with more <a href="spotify:artist:4x1nvY2FN8jxqAFA0DA02H">John Lennon</a>/<a href="spotify:artist:4STHEaNw4mPZ2tzheohgXB">Paul McCartney</a> compositions, plus material plucked from <a href="spotify:artist:5hW4L92KnC6dX9t7tYM4Ve">Joni Mitchell</a>'s back catalog, all performed in a technically precise but spirited doo wop/a cappella idiom. While it hardly set the pop charts alight, the collection did receive one notable accolade, the German Record Grand Prix of 1973. A steady stream of albums were issued during the '70s to a loyal following. ~ Tivo Staff, Rovi