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They began their life as a quartet as one of the premier groups in gospel music. There wasn't a weak link in the chain, neither vocally or instrumentally. One thing that set the group apart was the establishment of a morals clause for any member of The Imperials; they lived what they sang !
 
By the late 60's, The Imperials had changed members frequently, with Hess, Nielsen, McSpadden and Slaughter replaced by Roger Wiles, Jim Murray, Terry Blackwood and Joe Moscheo. Joe joined the group in the fall of 1964. The new members continued the sound that made The Imperials famous.
 Just like Elvis Presley had experienced in the 50's, The Imperials had real fans as well as people who didn't like their new look and sound. They broke down musical barriers in the 60's and released five recordings simultaneously to coincide with their debut. They soon began their own newspaper, 'The Imperial Times', to herald their arrival on the gospel music scene. The result of all these efforts was that they took the gospel music world by storm.
At this present day The
Imperials are still active with
Gus Gaches, Sherman Andrus, Terry Blackwood and Joe Moscheo.
The Imperials have won 12 Grammys and 13 Dove Awards, and also had the distinction of being the first Christian act to perform on the Grammy Awards telecast.
 The Imperials recorded and toured with Elvis Presley, as well as Jimmy Dean, with whom they appeared as regulars on his weekly TV show. They were big in the early 70's, as they appeared in Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe and a myriad of other major TV guest shots of the day. Recordings such as 'New Dimensions', 'The Imperials Now' and 'Love is the thing' put The Imperials on top in the gospel music industry.
After Marion Snider's 'The Imperials Sugar Quartet' was retired, Jake Hess (from the Statesmen Quartet) formed in 1964 one of the greatest gospel groups in the world. He hand-picked the best singers he could find in other established groups in gospel music to put together what he would call a 'super group' that would be known as The Imperials : Jake Hess (lead), Armond Morales (bass), Sherrill Nielsen (tenor), Gary McSpadden (baritone) and Henry Slaughter at piano.
The Imperials have made a catalog of songs that remains among the most enduring of all of gospel music. They released over 40 albums and have seen 14 of their songs hit #1.
  
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