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).
Tell Me So
The Orioles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but if you should love me i'll make that love grow. that part makes me stronger but can't last much longer unless you tell me so.
da da da da da do do da da do....
if its only affection that you feel tell me now don't lead me on i'll make a deal, yes or no, tell me so, you're free to go
The Orioles's song "Tell Me So" is a ballad about a person who is unsure of their significant other's feelings towards them. The singer is pleading with their partner to be honest and straightforward about their emotions, urging them to tell the truth about whether or not they truly love the singer. The lyrics suggest that it's better to know the truth, even if it means that the relationship may come to an end. The singer is willing to accept either answer: if their partner doesn't love them, then they will move on, but if they do love them, the singer promises to make that love grow.
The song captures the vulnerability and uncertainty of relationships, particularly those that are in their early stages. The singer is afraid to be led on, and is asking their partner for the truth, no matter how painful it may be. The repetition of the lyrics "tell me so" reinforces this desire for honesty and clarity.
Overall, "Tell Me So" is a timeless ballad that captures the emotional complexity of relationships. It speaks to the importance of communication and honesty, and reminds us that sometimes the truth is hard to hear, but it's better than living in uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
if you don't love me tell me so
If your feelings towards me aren't love, then please be honest and tell me.
don't tell the people i'm the one to know
Don't spread rumors about our relationship to others.
if its only affection that you feel tell me now don't lead me on
If you only have romantic feelings of liking towards me, let me know and don't string me along.
i'll make a deal yes or no, tell me so, you're free to go
I'm willing to work with you and accept your answer, whether it's yes or no. You're not obligated to stay if you don't want to.
but if you should love me i'll make that love grow
However, if you do have romantic love for me, I'll reciprocate and help nourish that love.
that part makes me stronger but can't last much longer unless you tell me so.
Knowing your true feelings will help me emotionally, but our situation can't continue without us being open and honest.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEBORAH CHESSLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wendyreingold3477
Another great song written by my beloved Mother
@MickTheQuickk
Wendy, your mom lived a long and productive life. I'm sure you're extremely proud of her contributions as a pioneer in the early days of R&B.
@pgroove163
damn masterpiece
@wendyreingold8419
@@MickTheQuickk Thanks My Mom Would Appreciate Your Kind Words.
@wendyreingold8419
@@pgroove163 Thanks My Mom Would Appreciate Your Kind Words.
@sauquoit13456
On this day in 1949 {September 3rd} the Orioles' "Tell Me So" peaked at #1 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Best-Selling Retail Rhythm & Blues Records in Stores chart; it replaced "Trouble Blues" by the Charles Brown Trio as the #1 record, "Trouble Blues" had been in the top spot for 15 consecutive weeks...
Sadly, Orioles' lead singer Sonny Til passed away at the young age of 56 on December 9th, 1981...
May he R.I.P.
@danielmkubacki
WOW I love this song.
@danielcruz8347
Beautiful controlled emotional power......Rock bands cream, Beck- Bogart-Appice..utilized very similar background vocal harmonies.. thank you for posting
@srercrcr
Well-said, friend
@bluenote824jones7
Great group and writer