Larks - The Larks Collection 1950-55 (2021)

Hailing from North Carolina, the Larks were a classic African-American doowop group of the early 1950s, with their roots firmly in gospel, but moving to secular music to form The Larks, although their early recorded work ranged across both gospel and secular genres as they recorded under different names when they made their studio debut. Although they were not among the most prolific doowop hitmakers, their style and technique made them one of the most admired and imitated of the early doowop ensembles. This 48-track 2-CD set comprises the A & B sides of just about all their releases on the Apollo label and in a second incarnation of the group under lead singer Eugene Mumford on the Apollo subsidiary label Lloyds, plus some titles from those labels which were not released at the time, plus recordings on Jubilee as The Selah Singers, on Regent as The 4 Barons, and on Apollo as The Southern Harmonaires. It features their Top 10 R&B hits “Eyesight To The Blind” and “Little Side Car”. It’s a substantial overview of their career – they broke up before their final release – and it’s a thorough and excellent showcase for their highly-regarded skills as vocal harmonisers.