American ensemble vocal group created in 1948 by Walter Schumann when he was the musical director at RKO Pictures. Schumann gathered together around 20 talented vocalists, recording several easy-listening albums, for Capitol Records and RCA Victor.
Members included Walter Schumann, leader, tenor Bob Dixon, soprano Deltra Kamsler, Tommy Traynor, contralto Dorothy Gill, baritone Howard Chitjian, tenor Jerry Madison, Dick Beavers, soprano Marni Nixon, Elaine Back, Bill Cunningham, Karen Vonne and others. Schumann led the group but did not sing in it.
In 1951, they recorded a popular, 19-track Christmas album, The Voices of Christmas. In 1956-1957 Schumann continued to record with the Voices and they appeared on the first season of NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. When Schumann died unexpectedly in 1958, just weeks before the third season of The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, the group renamed themselves The Top Twenty and carried on singing with Ernie Ford for another five years.