Tragedy struck the group in November 1950. The group was traveling in two cars near Baltimore. Gaither drove one, with Reed and Nelson as passengers. He took a corner too fast and lost control of the car. It rolled down an embankment and crashed into a drive-in restaurant. Gaither was killed and Nelson and Reed were severely injured. Til and Sharp, in the other car, were not near enough to witness the accident. They heard about it when they arrived home. For a short time, only Til and Sharp performed as the Orioles.
They soon added two new members: guitarist/second tenor Ralph Williams and pianist Charlie Harris. Nelson returned in a few days, and Reed a few weeks later. Just a year after their tragic accident, they were involved in another accident in Akron, Ohio, but there were no injuries.
George Nelson left in 1953, to be replaced by Gregory Carroll, formerly of the Four Buddies. This new line-up had several hits in 1953, including "Crying In the Chapel" and their final big hit, "In the Mission of St. Augustine". Williams left briefly in late 1953, and was replaced, for a few weeks, by Chauncy Westbrook. In February of 1955, Reed left and eventually joined an The Ink Spots group. He was replaced by Maurice Hicks. Williams and Harris left soon after. The group continued a short time and disbanded.
Left without the Orioles, Til picked up another group, The Regals, whose members were Tex Cornelius, Diz Russell, Jerry Holeman, Billy Adams, and pianist Paul Griffin. This group became the new Orioles. Til liked the Regals' modern harmony style, and the existing tunes were rearranged to match the Regals' style (in many cases, sounding rather different than they formerly had). During this time, they were often billed as "Sonny Til and his New Orioles". Now without Chessler, they were self-managed. They left Jubilee and signed with Vee-Jay Records.
They continued with this arrangement until 1957 when Cornelius left the group. He was replaced for a short time by Frank Todd, who was replaced by Jimmy Brown. This lineup went until the last day of 1959. Holeman left the group, and Russel the next day, after finding Sonny's car (their means of transportation) repossesed. This was the end of the second Orioles.
Til recorded briefly as a solo artist before putting together the third Orioles group, with members Delton McCall, Billy Taylor, and Gerald Gregory, former bass of The Spaniels. They continued recording, this time for Charlie Parker Records. Gregory left after a couple of years and was replaced by Lawrence Joyner. This group split up in the mid 1960s.
In 1966, Til met Bobby Thomas, a long time Orioles fan. Bobby was singing in a group known as "The Vibrannaires"; coincidentally named the same as the Orioles' original name. This group consisted of Thomas, Clarence Young, Harry Accoo, and Mike Robinson. Thomas, Young, and Robinson joined Til to become the fourth Orioles group. Gregory Carroll was occasionally a member of this group. They recorded until 1975.
Following the breakup of that Orioles group, Til joined George Holmes' Ink Spots, who were Til, Holmes, Ann Lawson, and Larry Reed. With the addition of George "Pepi" Grant in 1977, they began touring as both The Ink Spots and The Orioles (as the Orioles, Lawson was billed as a special guest). Til and Grant alternated leads, and Holmes sang bass. They recorded briefly in 1977.
In 1977, Til formed the sixth Orioles group with former members: Diz Russell and Jerry Holeman from the second group, and Billy Taylor from the third group. The group also sometimes featured Eddie Palmer. This group was together in 1981, when Til died from a heart attack. He was 56.
The group continued, and by the late 1990s featured Russell, Reese Palmer, Skip Mahoney, Larry Jordan (who also tours with The Flamingos) and musical director Eddie Jones, who also works with The Cadillacs. Jones and Mahoney were later replaced by George Spann and Royal Height. Bobby Thomas started his own Orioles group following Til's death. Johnny Reed played with this group until his death in June of 2005.
The Orioles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Both groups were featured in the PBS special Doo Wop 51 in 2000, with the groups alternating verses on "Crying in the Chapel" (with Bobby Thomas and Larry Jordan on lead).
Lonely Christmas
The Orioles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just won't be a holiday
I'll sit here in my room and cry
Because you went and took your loving away
It's gonna be a sad, sad occasion
'Cause this time I know there won't be
Presents wrapped in any fancy paper
Last year was fine 'cause your love was mine
And I knew you'd come when I call
This year I'll be blue and lonely listening to
The music from the party, 'cross the hall
I could have that Christmas feeling
Every day the whole year through
If you would send the Christmas gift I long for
Darling, tell me once more, "I love you"
Last year was fine 'cause your love was mine
And I knew you come when I call
This year I be blue and lonely listen to
The music from the party, 'cross the hall
Well, I could have the Christmas feeling
Every day the whole year through
If you would send the Christmas gift I long for
Darling, tell me once more, "I love you"
The Orioles' "It's Gonna Be A Lonely Christmas" is a heartfelt ballad that reflects the sadness and loneliness of spending the holiday season without a loved one. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's despair as they're left to sit in their room and cry, contemplating the loss of their love. The opening line, "It's gonna be a lonely Christmas, just won't be a holiday," immediately sets the melancholic tone of the song.
The singer reflects on the previous year, where they had their love to share the festivities with, and presents under the tree. However, now that their love is gone, they're left to listen to the music of a party happening under their nose in the next apartment, only compounding their pain. The singer ends by expressing the desire to have that "Christmas feeling" every day of the year, and keep the love and spark alive with their partner.
The lyrics of "It's Gonna Be A Lonely Christmas" are poignant and expressive, as they describe the emotions that many people feel during this time of year. The song was written by Johnny Moore, who was the lead singer of The Orioles, and he co-wrote it with Baltimore record producer Calvin Carter. The song was initially released as a B-side to The Orioles' single "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas" in 1953.
Line by Line Meaning
It's gonna be a lonely Christmas
The singer predicts that their upcoming Christmas will be solitary and lonesome.
Just won't be a holiday
Without the presence of the singer's loved one, Christmas loses its festive quality.
I'll sit here in my room and cry
The singer acknowledges the sadness they will feel on Christmas Day and expects to grieve alone.
Because you went and took your loving away
The artist's lover left them, leading to loneliness and desolation during the holidays.
It's gonna be a sad, sad occasion
The artist repeats their belief that Christmas will be a sorrowful, downhearted occasion without their former lover.
'Cause this time I know there won't be
The singer explains the cause of their sorrowful Christmas, which is the knowledge that there won't be a chance of reunion with their lost love.
Presents wrapped in any fancy paper
The singer foresees a bleak holiday season due to the absence of traditional tokens of love, such as wrapped gifts.
On the branches of my Christmas tree
Without the presenter's love, there will be no decoration on their Christmas tree.
Last year was fine 'cause your love was mine
The artist recalls previous Christmas when they were together with their love, and the holiday was jolly because of it.
And I knew you'd come when I call
The artist misses the beloved who would always be there whenever they called during the holidays.
This year I'll be blue and lonely listening to
The singer reiterates their previous sentiment that they will spend their Christmas alone, including listening to music from other people's holiday festivities.
The music from the party, 'cross the hall
The artist hears music from festive parties in their building's apartment and wishes they could participate in such celebrations.
I could have that Christmas feeling
The singer believes that they are capable of experiencing Christmas cheer, despite their current sad state.
Every day the whole year through
The singer believes that they can maintain a Christmas spirit every day of the year, not just during the holidays.
If you would send the Christmas gift I long for
The singer wishes that their lover would return and make them cheerful once more by sending a special gift.
Darling, tell me once more, "I love you"
The artist longs to be loved once again and to hear their lover say the three magic words, "I love you."
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: Phil Rose, Sid Sprung
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Corwin
Excellent song that deserves more credit today, I can't believe all these beautiful old songs have such few views.
Kyle Flounder
To be fair, a lot of them have a million re-uploads across YouTube that distribute the viewership some. Don't think several of them like this song do, though.
Cyn M.
I grew up with this song on a wonderful Christmas album. Thanks!
Eileen Ingala
heard this for the first time on sirius/xm 50's on 5 - what a pleasant surprise - love the piano accompaniment