Members of the original Golden Gate Quartet (Willie Johnson, William Lankford, Henry Owens, and Arlandis Wilson) performed on tour, radio, and records during the 1930s and 40s.

On radio they were heard locally on stations in the south and over the networks on such shows as Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm, Great Moments in Music, The Magic Key of RCA, and The Royal Crown Revue. They also appeared on their own weekly quarter hour show of close harmony. That sustaining series aired over the NBC network during the 1940-41 season.

By the 1950s, several unsuccessful tours prompted the four singers to set sail for Eu-rope, and a opportunity to find popularity with a new audience. The gamble paid off and the quartet extended their overseas stay into the 1990s.

The Golden Gate Quartet returned home to the United States in 1994 to a long delayed, but short-lived enthusiastic reception.