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).
See See Rider
The Orioles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
well now see, see what you have done.
Well now see, C. C. Rider,
well now see, see what you have done.
Well you made me love you woman,
Now your man has come.
So I'm going away now baby
I'm going away now baby
And I won't be back till fall,
Just might find me a good girl
Might not be coming back at all.
Well now see, C. C. Rider,
See now the moon is shining bright,
Well now see, C. C. Rider,
See now the moon is shining bright,
Just might find me that good girl
And everything would be alright.
The Orioles’ “See See Rider” is a classic blues song with a mournful tone that speaks on a relationship that has gone wrong. The singer addresses C. C. Rider, who he simultaneously blames and praises for the situation he finds himself in. In the song, the singer mentions how C. C. Rider, a woman, made him fall in love with her and now her man has come. Despite the pain she has caused him, he acknowledges the power she had over him, and as he plans to leave town, he contemplates finding another woman to fill the void she has left. The singer’s emotions throughout the song are cathartic as if he is coming to terms with the end of the relationship.
The song has been covered by many artists, including Elvis Presley, and it’s one of the most popular blues songs of all time. The impact of “See See Rider” in the blues genre is undeniable. The song’s simplicity and the singer’s heartfelt delivery make it relatable and endearing across cultures and generations. It’s an honest depiction of heartbreak that anyone can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Well now see, C. C. Rider,
Hey, C. C. Rider, I see you
well now see, see what you have done.
Look at the mess you've made
Well you made me love you woman,
You made me fall in love with you, lady
Now your man has come.
But now your man is here
So I'm going away now baby
So I'm leaving now, baby
And I won't be back till fall,
And I won't be back until Autumn
Just might find me a good girl
I might meet a nice woman
Might not be coming back at all.
Maybe I won't come back at all
See now the moon is shining bright,
Look, the moon is brightly shining
Just might find me that good girl
Maybe I'll find that nice girl
And everything would be alright.
And everything will be fine.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind