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).
At Night
The Orioles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart wanders all the day./(Ooooooo.)
But I, I miss you most of all,/(Ooooooo.)
At night, dear heart./(Ooooooo.)
Whe-enn daar-ahh-ah-arkness falls,/(Ooooooo.)
An-dI walk along the street,/(Ooooooo.)
I'll gaze at every girl I meet,/(Ooooooo.)
I know,/(Doooo, doooo.)
Know I won't last./
/(Doooo, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
Darling if I don't,/
/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
See you soon./
/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
My haar-ah-ah-eart,/
/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
Beats for you./
/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
All I do is/(Doh doh doh.)
((Gaze, gaze at the moon.))
I-I-I know where well will be.{1}/(Ooooooo.)
And I'll never leave your side./(Ooooooo.)
We'll do things we used to do,/(Ooooooo.)
At night./(Ooo-ooo ooo-ooooo-ooo-ooo.), repeated with style variations:
Ah-I know I won't last./
/(Boom boom boom boom.)/
/(Even though you left me dear.)/
/(Boom boom boom boom.)
Darling if I don't see you soon./
/(Boom boom boom boom.)/
/(Ever see you anymore.)/
/(Boom, boom, boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom.)
My haar-ah-ah-eart beats for you./
/(Boom boom boom boom.)/
/(Beating faster for you.)/
/(When we part.)/
/(Boom boom boom boom.)
All I do is/(Boom boom.)
((Gaze, gaze at the moon.))
3, repeated with slight style variations:
Oh-oh-oh-oh-ah know,/(Ooooooo.)
/Where well will be.{1}
And I'll never leave your side./(Ooooooo.)
We'll do things we used to do,/(Ooooooo.)
((At night.))
Johnny Reed: We got an in at night.{2}
The Orioles's song "At Night" is a tale of longing and heartache that continues to resonate with listeners more than 70 years after its release. The song begins with the singer dreaming of their loved one, confessing that their heart aches for them all day. It is clear that the singer is struggling with the absence of this person, missing them most of all at night when darkness falls. They walk along the street gazing at every girl they meet, hoping to see their cherished one again. The singer's feelings of despair and desperation are palpable.
The second verse offers a glimmer of hope as the singer expresses their certainty that they will be reunited with their loved one soon. They promise never to leave their side and look forward to doing things together as they used to do "at night." The repeated "boom boom" throughout the song and Johnny Reed's interjections add to the emotional intensity of the song, capturing the singer's heightened state of passion and distress.
Overall, "At Night" is a poignant portrayal of the pain of separation and the yearning for love, its enduring popularity a testament to the universality of these themes.
Line by Line Meaning
I dream uh-of you,(Ooooooo.)
I constantly think and fantasize about you in my dreams.
My heart wanders all the day.,(Ooooooo.)
My heart is consumed and preoccupied with thoughts of you throughout the day.
But I, I miss you most of all,(Ooooooo.)
Out of everything I long for, it's you who I miss the most.
At night, dear heart.,(Ooooooo.)
Especially at night, my heart aches for you.
Whe-enn daar-ahh-ah-arkness falls,(Ooooooo.)
When darkness falls,
An-dI walk along the street,(Ooooooo.)
As I stroll through the streets,
I'll gaze at every girl I meet,/(Ooooooo.)
I look at every girl I pass by,
Hoping it's you./(Ooo-ooo-ooo.)
Hoping to catch a glimpse of you or mistake someone else for you.
I know,(Doooo, doooo.)
I realize
Know I won't last.,/(Doooo, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
I acknowledge that I won't be able to endure my longing for you for much longer.
Darling if I don't,/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
My dearest, if I don't
See you soon.,/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
meet/see you soon,
My haar-ah-ah-eart,/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
My heart
Beats for you.,/(Doh-doh-doh-doh, doh-doh-doh-doh.)
beats solely for you
All I do is/(Doh doh doh.)
All I can do is
((Gaze, gaze at the moon.))
stare at the moon.
I-I-I know where well will be.{1}/(Ooooooo.)
I am certain of where we will be
And I'll never leave your side.,(Ooooooo.)
and I vow to never leave your side.
We'll do things we used to do,(Ooooooo.)
We'll relive experiences and moments that we've had in the past.
Ah-I know I won't last.,/(Boom boom boom boom.)/
I know I won't be able to bear the distance any longer.
Darling if I don't see you soon.,/(Boom boom boom boom.)/
My love, if I don't see you soon
My haar-ah-ah-eart beats for you.,/(Boom boom boom boom.)/
my heart will continue to beat solely for you
All I do is/(Boom boom.)
All I can do is
((Gaze, gaze at the moon.))
stare longingly at the moon.
Oh-oh-oh-oh-ah know,/(Ooooooo.)
Oh, I know
/Where well will be.{1}
exactly where we will be located and what we will be doing
((At night.))
particularly at night.
Johnny Reed: We got an in at night.{2}
We have a way to connect during the night through Johnny Reed.
Contributed by Alexander A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TRlPNlNES
Right there with Tell Me So, Too Soon to Know and Waterfront. No other group with so many outstanding ballads.
Nesi Ani
NOT ENOUGH HEARTS FOR THIS ONE !!!
Tony Townsend
Riding in a 1954 cadillac rolling down the street with this blasting... oh yeah !!
jillkristin
can we just imagine what this sounded like, late '40s, early '50s? "things we used to do at night"? Oh my goodness!
Frank Rossi
Great sound. It would be great to have great music back again.
joni oliver
Oh how ached for him, decades later and I STILL remember! This brings it all back.
jillkristin
oh god yes
ildibildi53
Amazing, simply flawless recording
Steve
SOO BEAUTIFUL!
Frankie C
They are NOT a "doo-wop" group. That`s an insult. They are one of the best R&B vocal groups in history.