The Institutional Radio Choir was a gospel choir that recorded between 1962 and 2003. The choir began in 1954 at the Institutional COGIC in Brooklyn, NY, under Bishop Carl E Williams Sr. After recording an album entitled: "Well Done," the choir backed up Shirley Caesar on her two albums, I'll Go and My Testimony. Caesar allotted the choir's director two songs on the album, one of which was entitled Stretch Out. The song went on to become a gospel standard, especially in Pentecostal circles. The choir went on to record over 20 albums, most of which charted in the Top 10 on the Gospel Billboard charts.
The choir was originally led by two brothers Alfred White and JC White, they were later joined by John Hason, a pianist for James Cleveland. After their departure in 1979, the choir was led by I. "Butch" Heyward and Carl Williams Jr. They dominated the radio both through airplay of their songs and a 10:30 PM church broadcast every Sunday night on WWRL.