the Swan Silvertones

The Swan Silvertones are an American gospel music group that first achieved popularity in the 1940s and 1950s under the leadership of Claude Jeter. Jeter formed the group in 1938 as the "Four Harmony Kings" while he working as a coal miner in West Virginia. After moving to Knoxville, Tennessee and obtaining their own radio show, the group changed its name to the "Silvertone Singers" in order to avoid confusion with another ensemble known as the "Four Kings of Harmony." They added the name Swan shortly thereafter, since Swan Bakeries sponsored their show. Their wide exposure through radio brought them a contract with King Records.