The Orioles were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal groups who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound.

The Orioles are generally acknowledged as R&B’s first vocal group. Baltimore natives, they blended rhythm with group harmonies. Dubbing themselves after Maryland’s state bird, the Orioles started the trend of bird groups (The Cardinals, The Crows, The Flamingos, The Larks, The Penguins, The Ravens, The Wrens, etc.). They brought their winning formula to their first charted hit "It’s Too Soon To Know"; a #1 record in November 1948, soon followed by the group’s second hit, "(It's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas", in December that same year.