James Buford Abner was born November 10, 1917 to Dave and Ovelia Abner in Lineville, Alabama. He was the child of sharecroppers, and like many children in that part of the country, he was raised in a Christian home with lots of singing present, and like so many of his childhood friends, was a part of "singin' school" every summer and spent many a Sunday at "all day singin' and dinner on the ground" events.

And like a select few other southern boys, his singing voice was his way out of the fields and into the world. 15-year old Buford joined his brother Merle in the Pepperel Manufacturing Company Quartet in Columbus, Georgia.

Both Abner boys stayed with that quartet until they left to join their Uncle Stacy in the Vaughn Four on WNOX radio in Knoxville, Tennessee. And by 1938, the Abner boys and Billy Carrier formed what they named The Swanee River Boys. The new quartet used their smooth sound and musicianship to land a job at WDOD radio in Chattanooga, Tennessee where they became part of an entire network of radio stations in the South. The quartet became popular quickly throughout the Southeast.

Not only did Buford find fame and recognition, Chattanooga was where Buford found the love of his life. Dorothy Jean Dalton was singing with her sister Mildred as the Sunshine Sisters along with famous country entertainer Archie Campbell on the same radio station. Buford and Dorothy got married in 1941, and had a daughter, Pamela, in 1943.

Also in 1941, The Swanee River Boys moved to Atlanta, where their program "The Little Country Church" was aired on 50,000 watt powerhouse WSB radio. Their smooth, rhythmic style and flair with black spirituals got them booked into black churches to sing, where they were quite a pleasant surprise to the congregations there, proving that music can be a bridge between black and white, young and old, and rich and poor alike. 

But The Swanee River Boys didn't sing only gospel music. Like many of their contemporaries at that time, they also included popular, folk, and western songs in addition to their gospel quartet numbers and the black spirituals they so excelled at. In the early 1940s, it was estimated that about 52% of their songs were gospel or religious in orientation. They also mixed comedy routines in with their music, making them just as suitable for schools and civic organizations as for churches and concert appearances. They exemplified "family entertainment" at its best.

But still, The Swanee River Boys loved their gospel music best, and with Buford's many original songs and innovative vocal arrangements, they were always a major force and influence on gospel quartets.