Mitchell's Christian Singers were an a cappella gospel group based in the city of Kinston, situated in eastern North Carolina. The group was originally known as the New Four Quartet, and a strong performance of "Dry Bones" led to an invitation to the Old Mansion Gospel Convention in June 1934. The New Four won the singing contest hands down with their version of "We're Gonna Have a Little Talk with Jesus." A move to New York to make records caused half of the members to quit, and under the leadership of singer and manager Willie Mitchell, the new lineup became Mitchell's New Four Singers in 1934, and Mitchell's Christian Singers in 1936. Some music historians hold that this group's soulful, focused presentation had a direct influence upon early modern gospel and the doo wop vocal harmony technique popularized during the 1950s.