ABSTRACT
A male vocal quartet/quintet with piano, an outgrowth of the Shannon Four (established 1917), active from 1925 to ca. 1940. Original members were Franklyn Baur, first tenor; Lewis James, second tenor; Elliott Shaw, baritone; Wilfred Glenn, bass (also the organizer and manager); and Frank Banta, Jr., piano. Carson Robison sometimes whistled and played the guitar. Other artists in the Revelers at one time or another included James Melton, Charles Harrison, Sam Ash, Billy Jones, Frank Parker, and Robert Simmons (tenors); Phil Duey (baritone); Ed Smalle (tenor, pianist, arranger); and Frank Black (pianist). In response to changing musical tastes in America, the Revelers essayed a new quartet style, informal and swinging. They were highly popular on the radio in the U.S. and a great success on a European tour of 1926, particularly in London where a Command Performance was the highlight. They toured Europe annually into the 1930s.
