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).
Till Then
The Orioles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till then, no matter when it may be
One day I know I'll be home again
Please wait till then
Our dreams will live though we are apart
Our love will always stay in our hearts
Till then, when all the world will be free
Although there are oceans we must cross
And mountains that we must climb
I know every gain must have a loss
So pray that our loss is nothing but time
Till then, we'll dream of what there will be
Till then, we'll call on each memory
Till then, when I will hold you again
Please wait till then
In the song Till Then by The Orioles, the singer is expressing his desire for his beloved to wait for him until he can return home. The lyrics speak to the power of love and the strength it provides when two people are separated by distance. The song acknowledges the challenges of long-distance relationships, but also highlights the hope and optimism that keep them alive.
The first verse emphasizes the singer's plea for his sweetheart to wait for him, no matter how long it takes. The second verse speaks to the power of their love, acknowledging that even though they are apart physically, their love will never die. The third verse addresses the difficulties they must overcome in order to be together, but encourages them to have faith that their separation is only temporary.
The chorus of the song acts as a reminder to the lover to hold on to their dreams of being together again, to reminisce on memories of the past and to hope for a time when they can be reunited. The lyrics are beautifully written and convey a sense of deep longing and devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Till then, my darling, please wait for me
My love, until we are together again, I ask you to wait for me
Till then, no matter when it may be
Regardless of when it is, wait for me until we are reunited
One day I know I'll be home again
I have faith that someday I will be with you again
Please wait till then
I ask that you remain patient and wait for me until that day comes
Our dreams will live though we are apart
Even though we are separated, our dreams and aspirations will remain alive
Our love will always stay in our hearts
Our love for each other will endure, and be always present in our hearts
Till then, when all the world will be free
Until the world is free and at peace, I ask you to wait for me
Please wait for me
I request for your patience and forbearance until we can be together again
Although there are oceans we must cross
Even though we may have to cross vast oceans to be together
And mountains that we must climb
And face unimaginable challenges to reach our destination
I know every gain must have a loss
I am aware that there are sacrifices we must make to achieve our goals
So pray that our loss is nothing but time
Let us hope that the only loss we face is time, and that we make no other sacrifices
Till then, we'll dream of what there will be
Until we are together again, we'll remain hopeful and imagine what the future holds
Till then, we'll call on each memory
We'll relive our precious memories to get us through until the day we'll meet again
Till then, when I will hold you again
Until the moment when we'll reunite in each other's arms
Please wait till then
I'll ask again for your patience until we can be together
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MAX DUANE BARNES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind