The Mariners

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About The Mariners

This four-piece gospel group comprised two white and two black singers and was formed in 1942 at the Coast Guard in Manhattan Beach in New York, USA. The group comprised Thomas Lockard, James O. Lewis, Nathaniel Dickerson and Martin Karl (who had previously performed with the Chicago Opera). The group toured the New York State area and visited several Pacific force bases during 1945. Radio broadcasts brought them to the attention of Arthur Godfrey, and they were regulars on his radio show for several years after the war. They recorded ‘On The Island Of Oahu’ for Columbia Records in 1949, but their first hit was ‘Sometime’ in 1950. The run of successes continued with ‘They Call The Wind Maria’ and ‘I See The Moon’, their last and biggest hit, at number 14 in 1952. Still best known through their appearances on Godfrey’s shows, they moved to the Cadence label in the late 50s, to diminishing acclaim. By the advent of the 50s more contemporary outfits had seized their mantle, and they disappeared from both the charts and the New York radio scene which had been their most effective medium.

FORMED
1942
GENRE
Alternative

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