The Riverside Chamber Singers (from Riverside Drive in Gotham) were originally trained by Norman Lloyd of the Julliard faculty, the group organized because its members wanted to sing this neglected repertoire Since their New York debut in 1958, the group performed widely, primarily singing liturgical music, both in concerts and in churches. However, they shifted from their liturgical focus when they released their LP "Madrigals Across the Centuries," in which they devoted a good part of the record to secular love songs and the occasional "bawdy romp."

The original six members of this group were—Lynn Clarke, Bud Burrows, Barbara Crouch, Alan Baker, Ray DeVo, and Jan DeGaetani.