Norfleet Brothers

The Norfleet Brothers were best known as the headlining act of Chicago’s "Jubilee Showcase," a gospel television program that showcased the best talent in gospel music that included The Staple Singers, Willie Dixon and The Soul Stirrers to name a few. Jubilee Showcase aired on WLS-TV CH.7 from 1963 to 1984. The Norfleet Brothers won many awards and the group was honored with a Stellar Award. Junious Norfleet (bottom row, far right in photo) was the youngest of fifteen children. The Norfleet Brothers began singing on the family farm in Marion, AL. At first it was just two brothers (Peter and Arthur), but three other brothers soon joined. They could have formed a double-quintet with five additional female voices, as there were 15 Norfleet siblings on the farm (ten boys and five girls). World War II caused a forced hiatus when the older brothers were drafted, splitting up the group, though the individual brothers kept sharp by singing with other groups. The brothers finished their duty by 1946 and regrouped to burn rubber all over the South and the Midwest. They soon settled in Chicago, IL, to take advantage of better jobs and opportunities for African-Americans. They still toured the gospel circuit, but made the Christ Temple Baptist Church their religious base. Despite all the siblings, the Norfleet Brothers weren't entirely family; Willie Wilson sung with them for a while and bass singer George Taylor was a long time member. After leaving the group, Wilson spearheaded a weekly television show in Chicago, the Jubilee Showcase, which featured the Norfleet Brothers and other local and national gospel acts. The television show was filmed in the showroom of a Pontiac dealership owned by the host of the show Mr. Scott; other acts included the Heavenly Sunbeams (the Emotions), a young Chaka Khan, and the Edwin Hawkins Singers. The singing brothers also appeared on two radio programs every Sunday and were in constant demand for appearances. The popular group recorded their first of three albums, Shadrach, in 1964 on Checker Records, the 12-song LP featured their popular rendition of "Shadrach," their beautiful arrangement of "None But the Righteous," and an original composition "Live the Life."