The Friendly Travelers’ distinctive musical styles evolved from a need, and a desire,
to do more than just traditional gospel.
They are truly one of the more unique
gospel acts on the New Orleans scene today. In addition to traditional gospel, their
music showcases a wide array of formats and styles such as R&B, jazz and reggae.
In 1978 The Friendly Travelers were one of the first gospel
group to record for the Memphis based
Malaco
Records which
paved the way for them to appear on concert with artists
from all walks of life,
Gladys Knight
to The Mighty Clouds of Joy and from
Al Green to the Zion Harmonizers. They
have graced the large concert halls of America as well
as the quaint clubs and churches of Europe, and have even
fashioned operatic styles for symphony concerts in Europe.
Their
unique work led them to a
Big Easy
Music Award nomination (New Orleans, 1990) and even won them 1st place in
The
Vocal Harmony Sweepstakes (1989) also held in
The
Crescent City. In 1990, they also received an outstanding "
Contribution
to Gospel" Award from The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage
Foundation.
In 1995, The Travelers, as they are often called,
made a "
Spirit of Louisiana" commercial for local
television station WWL-TV 4 during the holiday season.
The Friendly Travelers make regular appearances all over
Europe and America playing festivals and Churches alike.
They have worked at venues like
The
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, The Kempten Jazz
Festival (Germany),
The Ascona Festival (Switzerland),
The
Nantes Festival (France),
House
of Blues, New Orleans, The Contemporary Arts Center (New Orleans),
world-famed
Tipitina's, Café Brasil,
Kaldi's Coffee House, and of course, the Bourbon Street
scene.
Their first internationally distributed compact disc, with
the New Orleans based
Rampart Street Music label, entitled
Stand Alone has played nationally on stations all across
America and in regions of Europe.
This project, a true
mirror of The Friendly Travelers Band, speaks to their
vast diversity. As a testimony to their artistry, a sampling
from this project (The Whole Town's Talking) was solicited
and used on the popular
Bill Cosby
Movie Mystery, "
Dial
H for Murder", that was featured on the Arts and Entertainment
Network in 1998.
Their second Rampart Street Music project,
Search my Heart, comprised almost entirely of original music
was released on February 9, 2003. This new release has
opened many new doors for the Friendly Travelers, such
as an appearance on Louisiana Jukebox, Live, a spot on
the Louisiana Music Cavalcade, a state sponsored tour of
about a dozen different Louisiana Artists,
The
French Quarter Festival, MO-Fest, House of Blues Gospel
Brunch and The National Historic Jazz Park, just to name a few.
Floyd Turner, L.D. Hirams, Alfred Penns, and Wanda Joseph
each bring very different elements to the table that make-up
the very unique sounds of the Friendly Travelers.
Line-up:
Floyd Turner -
guitar, vocal
Alfred Penns -
lead vocals
Wanda Joseph -
Bass guitar, vocals
Jerome Harris Jr. -
drums
Curtis Mitchell -
Guitar, vocals
Caprice M Sanders -
vocals
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