The Basin Street Boys _Evening Swing

Ormonde Wilson and The Basin Street Boys were a vocal / instrumental group from Philadelphia. Like such contemporary 1940's (pre doo wop) vocal groups as The Cats and Fiddle and Four Vagabonds they based their style, in part, on the hugely popular Ink Spots. Working swanky nightclubs they sung a mixture of pop tunes, jazz-flavored jive novelties, ballads and occasionally injecting some blues flavor. The burbling bass sounds and floating tenor style that was to mark early 50's doo wop had not yet emerged and their contemporaries specialized in tight, clean harmony singing, sometimes baked up by fine jazz musicians. The group began recording for Exclusive Records in 1946 and enjoyed their biggest hit that year with the ballad I Sold My Heart To The Junkman which enjoyed chart success.