Norfolk Jazz Quartette

The vocal harmony group the Norfolk Quartette released dozens of records between 1921 and 1940, primarily labeled as the Norfolk Jubilee Quartette. The Jazz Quartette name was used when the group recorded non-religious material. Founded by bass singer Len Williams and baritone Delroy Hollins, the Norfolks were performing in public as early as 1919 with Otto Tuston and James "Buddy" Butts singing tenor. Hollins acted as manager for the quartet and rehearsed them at home in his living room. During the early '20s they were mainly a vaudeville unit specializing in blues and jazz but also capable of singing gospel. From the get-go their signature sound was shaped by Len Williams, who anchored each song with scat-like rhythmic patterns in the bass clef which were strongly influenced by the jazz music of the day. The Norfolks cut their first records for Okeh in 1921 and appeared in a variety show starring vocalist Mamie Smith in Baltimore during the spring of the following year. They spent much of that summer with the Miller & Lyles musical revue The Flat Below, but were forced to withdraw after Butts was fatally attacked on August 19, 1922 by an enraged knife-wielding girlfriend.