The John Daniel Quartet on WSM

 

These articles usually start with a chance find, and then basic research to block in the timeline. John Daniel was unknown to me, even in the context of WSM. So the multi-decade career was very unexpected. The hymnal above says that he was born in 1906, which would put him in his mid to late 30s on that cover. It gives his wife's name as Vida Lou Miller Daniel, and their kids as Edward and James Daniel. The John Daniel Quartet was originally one of the Vaughan Company's traveling quartets. These groups performed for free like a walking advertisement for Vaughan songbooks.

It's a southern style gospel hymnal. WSM is referenced on the front and rear covers and the phrase "Tune them in and listen to them daily" from which I assume that their spot ran on weekdays. I found another hymnal that was just called Song Book No. 6. which was copyrighted in 1949.  John Daniel looks much older in that 2nd hymnal so I'm assuming his career started in the late 1930s. Books 4 and 5 are listed for sale on the back cover, and all copies could be ordered by writing to John Daniel directly at 2607 Belcourt Ave, in Nashville, TN.  I also found the sheet music for "Heavenly Treasures" under Denson Music Publishing dated to 1952.

But the microphone in the glamor shot I found for the group bore the CBS logo, not WSM. The names at that time were: Boyce Hawkins, John Daniel, Herman Grizzard, Hoyt Hawkins, Troy Daniel, and Jim Penland. Other sources site Jake Hess, "Big Jim" Waits, Clyde Roach, , Wallace "Wally" Fowler and Tommy Fairchild as members of the John Daniel Quartet. Troy Daniel, sang lead, and bis brother John was first tenor, Jim Penland sang bass.

Many mambers of the group graduated into big careers in music and radio. Herman there is certainly the same Herman Grizzard who was a rhythm and blues DJ on WLAC in the 1940s. It certainly looks like him in the headshot at Nashvillebroadcastinghistory.com. Though it says little more than that he was with the station since the 1930s. This is a bit of an understatement. Born in Nashville in 1900 he was even older than Daniel. He died in 1971.This issue of Broadcast News from July of 1932 has him on the cover.

Hoyt Hawkins was later in the more prominent singing group The Jordanaires. His work with them as a baritone appears in his obituary but The John Daniel Quartet does not. Hawkins played piano and bass fiddle and sang for a number of prominent artists: Elvis Presley, Perry Como, patsy Cline; lots of big names. The Obit also notes that his brother, Boyce Hawkins was a DJ at WSMV-TV Channel 4. Hoyt got his start singing at the age of 10 with a family quartet on a local radio show. Interestingly the only member shared between the Jordainaires and John Daniel were Hoyt and Gordon Stoker, not Boyce oddly. Boyce obituary says that they ended up performing regularly on the Eddy Arnold TV show in Chicago in 1955.

Boyce Hawkins had a heart attack while swimming at Percy Priest Lake, just East of Nashville and drowned in 1987 at the age of 58.  He had a long career in music. Boyce Hawkins was even in the Oak Ridge Boys in 1948 playing piano. Speaking of pianists, Gordon Stoker was recruited by John Daniel straight out of high school as a church pianist. He was born in 1924, much younger than the rest of the group. Some articles call him the leader of the Jordanaires. Stoker died in 2013 at the age of 88.

Clyde Roach and his brother Wilford Roach went on to sing in one of the many iterations of the Stamps-Baxter quartet in the late 1950s. In fact when Clarice Howard "Ma" Baxter died in 1972 she willed the company to four employees: Lonnie B. Combs, Clyde Roach, Videt Polk, and Dwight Brock. They sold it in 1974 but for about 2 years Clude owned a 25% stake in Stamps-Baxter keeping the shape note dream alive.

 Jim Penland died at the age of 77 in 2003. He had traveled with the John Daniel Quartet in the 50’s and 60’s who was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Dollywood in 1997. He got out of music and with his wife they operated two shoe stores in Tennessee.

Around 1950 the John Daniel Quartet recorded a few 78s, and 45s on their own label the "Daniel Record Co." But some sides where released or re-released on Bama, Bullet, and Liberty records. One 45 released in 1964 lists them as "(The late" John Daniel Quartet. Possibly a post-humous release. I've started a small discography below...

Catalog	Format	A	B
215	78	Echoes from the Burning Bush	Heavenly Treasures
228	78	Justice called and Mercy Answered	When We All get there
230	45	Heavenly Treasures	Just a Rose will Do
231	45	I will Live Forever	When The Savior Reached Down For Me
232	45	Heaven Joys I'll Share	Come And Dine
233	45	Joy Bells	Sing A Happy Song
N/A	45	You Can't Streamline Salvation	Echoes In The Valley
N/A	45	Beautiful Star of Bethlehem	He Said If I Be lifted Up