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).
Night And Day
The Orioles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the tom-tom;
When the jungle shadows fall,
Like the tick, tick, tock
Of the stately clock,
As it stands against the wall,
Like the drip, drip, drip,
Of the raindrops,
So a voice within me
Keeps repeating,
You, you, you
Night and day
You are the one,
Only you
Beneath the moon
And under the sun.
Whether near to me or far,
It's no matter,
Darling, where you are
I think of you
Night and day.
Day and night
Why is it so,
That this longing for you follows
Where-ever I go?
In the roaring traffic's boom,
In the silence of my lonely room,
I think of you,
Night and day.
Night and day
Under the hide of me
There's an
Oh, such a hungry yearning,
Burning inside of me.
And its torment won't be through
Til you let me spend my life
Making love to you,
Day and night,
Night and day.
The Orioles's song "Night and Day" depicts a person's constant thought of a love interest, regardless of their distance or current situation. The song compares the person's persistent longing to various sounds, such as the beat of a tom-tom, tick of a clock, or drip of raindrops. The internal voice in the person's mind keeps repeating the name of the love interest, emphasizing the power of their emotions towards the individual. The chorus expresses the intensity of their love, as they acknowledge that their longing for the person is present both day and night, regardless of whether they're close or far away.
Overall, the song tells a story of the profound impact that love can have on an individual that is hard to escape. Even in the midst of urban chaos and silence, the person's thoughts involuntarily drift to the idea of the love interest constantly. The last verse reveals the deepest sentiment of the singer as their intense longing burns inside them until they are with their love interest.
Line by Line Meaning
Like the beat, beat, beat, Of the tom-tom;
Just like the monotonous beats of a tom-tom that go on and on, something in me keeps repeating the same thing over and over again.
When the jungle shadows fall,
Suggests a time of day when the sun has set, and shadows cast long and dark; Which is the time when the voice within him speaks up and repeats the same thing over and over again.
Like the tick, tick, tock Of the stately clock, As it stands against the wall,
A comparison to the never-ending sound that a clock makes, a reminder that time is always moving forward. It's the same voice that keeps repeating, hinting that it won't stop soon.
Like the drip, drip, drip, Of the raindrops, When the summer show'r is through;
A sound that's calm and soothing, but still there. It's like the voice is always with him, hidden in the background.
So a voice within me Keeps repeating, You, you, you
There's a voice inside him that won't stop repeating the word 'you,' and those words are occupying all of his thoughts.
Night and day You are the one, Only you Beneath the moon And under the sun.
The person he's thinking of is the center of his attention. They are the only one he loves, no matter the time of day or night, or whether there's a moon or a sun in sight.
Whether near to me or far, It's no matter, Darling, where you are I think of you Night and day.
It doesn't matter whether the person is close or far away. They are always in his thoughts, night and day
Day and night Why is it so, That this longing for you follows Where-ever I go?
No matter where he goes, the longing for the other person follows him, day and night. The overwhelming desire he has for them is haunting him every minute of every day.
In the roaring traffic's boom, In the silence of my lonely room, I think of you, Night and day.
Whether surrounded by noise or in the quiet of his own company, night and day, he thinks of the person he loves.
Night and day Under the hide of me There's an Oh, such a hungry yearning, Burning inside of me.
Deep within him is an intense longing and constant need for the other person, night and day. It's a hunger that can't be satisfied.
And its torment won't be through Til you let me spend my life Making love to you, Day and night, Night and day.
Until the other person agrees to let him love them, to be with him day and night, his torment will never end. His desire for them is so powerful that it torments him constantly.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Red Brick Music Publishing
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind