[1] During World War II, they toured extensively for the USO entertaining US troops abroad.
Whilst there they received a citation naming them as the "Most popular entertainers of American troops in England".
They also performed with Count Basie, Fats Waller, Charlie Christian and Thelma Carpenter.
[2] In Europe, they were especially popular in countries such as Sweden and Norway from the 1950s and upwards, appearing on numerous TV shows, even releasing several hit singles performing songs in Swedish and Norwegian.
[3] They returned to the northeast at least once more, in October 1958,[4] and participated in a special noon-time church service, introducing Northumbrians to American gospel music.
He was born in Brighton, England, had a role as a child in the film Black Narcissus, and now lives in Florida.
In 2019, their 1941 single "They Look Like Men of War" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".