Dec. 24 ... Merry Christmas to you all !

Gladys's Tune

mid-week gospel

You thought you know all versions of this song? You reckoned there is no artist on earth who could perform this tune as if you had never heard it before? Listen to this fabulous version by Gladys McFadden and the Loving Sisters, from 1969 ...

This is Officially to Announce:

... that the Cussin' & Carryin' On Blogspot has launched a Youtube channel of its own!

Let it, therefore, proudly and with the required loftiness be proclaimed that you will find it here ... and instead of a darn stupid link I better post a video all along:



To tell you the truth, for a long time I didn't see the minimal necessity to open a Youtube channel. (Years ago I had already experimented with one but didn't find it worthwhile and closed it down after a few days.) And I still think that listening to old records in the form of video-stills (because that's what they are in 95% of cases) is a strange thing to do and not very satisfying.
     BUT, unfortunately many sites nowadays use Youtube as a sort of general default site and you simply can't do without it. Best example for this is the extremely useful 45cat, which uses Youtube as a basic device. This is why I decided to go along with it, after all. So may it be made known heresoforewithandtowithandinanycase that this blog was from the beginning of time destined to have its own Youtube channel, and now this has come about as it was written in the Book of Fate. Lol.

I might add, just to let you know, that for the time being I will play only rare gospel music on the Youtube channel, nothing else. Most of what you'll find there was already played on this blog, but some tunes or 45s haven't been so far (and maybe never will). So in the best of perspectives, the Youtube channel will function as a supplement to this blog, mainly for use in connection with other sites. End of declaration, the Lord has spoken. Elvis has left the building. Drive carefully and good night.

The Bluesy Side ...

... of Lucy Rodgers. Oh yes I know, I never chose songs from the same record three times in a row (and won't do it again soon). But there are two good reasons for doing it this time. First, I got many new disks during the last days and can't keep up with ordering and sort of catalogizing them. This is the less good reason, however. The truly good reason is that Lucy Rodgers's Checker LP is just so versatile that it doesn't suffice to play one or two songs. She offers all here, a caleidoscope of uptempo gospel shouters, intense hyms, operatic pieces and bluesy sacred grooves. And all tunes are worth listening to! So, really, Lucy Rodgers's LP does stand apart from much of the more conventional stuff in the field of sacred music, and Checker already was able to maintain high standards with the Gospel LP series. And by the way, the Subliminal Kid kindly suggested to me a while ago to play entire records here, which I could have done easily with this fabulous Checker LP. I thought about it but eventually felt it to be contrary to the purposes of this blog, also because when starting it I decided (as kind of a personal guideline) not to play entire LPs.

Said this, be captivated by the bluesy side of Lucy Rodgers ...

Happy Sunday all!

Lucy Rodgers: »Life's Evening Sun« / »I'm Fighting For My Rights« from the Checker LP # 10034 (1967):

* * *

The Recordings of Lucy Rodgers

... I'm late again with continuing a topic raised in a former posting. However, in this specific case it wasn't just changed plans that caused a delay, I also came to discover that researching gospel singer Lucy Rodgers is pretty difficult and leads only to less than satisfying results, at least for the moment being. But before going into dry details you merit some kind of musical treat. So, in the following you can listen to Lucy Rodgers's fabulous performance with »Days Past And Gone«.

Lucy Rodgers: »Days Past And Gone« from the Checker LP # 10034 (1967):

Back to the dry facts. First, Lucy Rodgers was billed under a myriad of names and it's only a small exaggeration to say that she appears on every record differently. Apart from »Sister Soul« she also surfaces as »Lucy Rogers« (spelled without the d and in all cases known to me probably typoed by mistake or negligence), making it difficult to track her records. She had several groups accompanying her and she sang also with her family. What seems certain is that she did only one LP, viz. Checker # 10034 in 1967. When researching her 45-discography, something which proved more complicated than I anticipated, I finally came up with this listing:

(T e n t a t i v e)    L u c y    R o d g e r s    S i n g l e s    D i s c o g r a p h y

(1) »Man In The City Pt. 1 b/w Man In The City Pt. 2« on Halo #09 (a One-Derful subsidiary out of Chicago), probably from 1964 (or 1965). Billing: »Lucy Rogers Singers«, personnel: Lucy Rodgers, Edna Thomas, Virginia Riley and Geneva Dudley. You can find detailed info for this record and label scans in the Royce-Darden Gospel Music Collection.

(2) »I Have One More River b/w I'm Fighting For My Rights« on St. Lawrence #1015, from 1966. Billing is: »Sister Soul & The Lucy Rodgers Singers«. (B side is a song composed by Erma Franklin.)

(3) »Time Is Drawing Nigh b/w I Surrender All« on Checker #5028, released in summer 1967 but maybe recorded back in 1966. Billing: »Sister Soul & The Lucy Rodgers Singers«.

*At this point, Hayes-Laughton list three unreleased Checker masters, rec. c.July 1967: »In My Father's House«, »Just Like My God« and »Jesus Lover Of My Soul«.

(4) »I Found A Friend (yes, this is the plug side!) b/w Let The Train Roll Easy« on Checker # 5042, out in late autumn 1967, billing: »Lucy Rodgers«. Both songs also on Checker LP 10034.

(5) »Why Don't You Hold On b/w Something Within Me« on Saint #1102, rec. in 1967 in Chicago and probably released in 1968. A side appears on Checker LP # 10034 as »Hold On«.

(6) »The Day Is Passed And Gone b/w My Soul Needs Resting« on Saint Lawrence 705, billing: »Lucy Rodgers (A side) / Lucy Rodgers & The Angelic Choir (B side)«.

(7) »He's Been Good b/w The Blood Of Jesus« on Rush #2719, billing: »Lucy Rodgers Singers«, personnel includes Edna Thomas.
(8) »Live For My Lord b/w Our Heavenly Home« on Mayo #401; billing uncertain.
For these last two 45s my only source of information is Hayes-Laughton's Gospel Discography. No release dates, late 60s or early 70s.

(9) »Pray A Little Longer b/w Rain« on One-Way # 301, a Chicago-based label. Billing: »Lucy (Sister Soul) Rodgers«. Released in 1975, this record is a marvelous performance.   H e a r   t h e   f u n k y  A  s i d e   b  e l o w !

(10) »Old Landmark b/w I Don't Know What I'll Do Without The Lord« on Angel Joy #7003, billing: »Lucy Rodgers (Sister Soul) and Family« (»Rodgers« spelled on A side label without d, »Rogers«!). Release date is unknown, but the record looks like 70s or early 80s. See more details and label scans in the Royce-Darden Gospel Music Collection.

That's about it. I feel that something is still missing, but the above list comprises all what I could find until now. As always, you are invited to contribute more info or correct mistakes!

* * *

Sign In with Sister Soul

Lucy Rodgers, often billed as »Sister Soul« (and here and then also as »Lucy Rogers«), had only LP out, to my best knowledge. It was released at some point towards the end of 1967, on the Checker label. Simply self-titled, this LP (Checker # 10034) is a very satisfying mix of bluesy spiritual songs, church hymns and well-arranged gospel fare, both uptempo and non. It is one of the lesser known LPs of the Checker Gospel series, but it does merit a little more attention really.

The career of Lucy Rodgers is known only sketchily; I'll have some more info about her in tomorrow's post. (I am still traveling, so today's post is somewhat short ...)

For today, let's hear Lucy Rodgers with the beautiful hymn »The Failure's Not In God«, followed by the Opera-like and maybe slightly over-produced »Sign My Name«: heavily orchestrated, heading towards a forceful climax and ending with a final flourish. It is the longest piece on the LP and certainly the one that stands out most.

A blessed Easter Monday to all of you!

Lucy Rodgers: »The Failure's Not In God« / »Sign My Name« from the Checker LP # 10034 (1967):

Atlanta Gospel: The Barnetts on Brother Love

mid-week gospel

... yesterday I was close to losing my temper (which then in a wise move of self appeasement and by remembering Biblical injunctions I was able to avoid), but indeed the advantages of keeping my composure became evident today when yesterday's problems no longer mattered. I am good at ignoring problems anyhow. This is nothing to be proud of because sometimes the problems bounce back at you and matters will actually be much worse than before. Sometimes, however, they just disappear. This is the lucky turn of events.

Today, I am even luckier with what I have to offer musically wise, that is, I've got this 45 with two formidable performances and at first hadn't much information about the artists. The label is called Brother Love Records, and my copy has no additional info whatsoever. What I do know, though, is that Brother Love was an Atlanta-based label and that The Female Nightingales released one 45 on that label (see the Georgia Soul website). At least one Brother Love 45 also features non-sacred music, namely Bobby Strickland's »After All I'm Still In Love With You / The Girl That I Love« (an unnumbered 45). This record is mentioned as completely obscure over at Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven, but an update on that page, based on the expertise of Georgia Soul buff Brian Poust, reveals that this was the only non-sacred issue on this label, the others being gospel music. Says Poust, »the same Brother Love label released gospel records here in Atlanta. This [viz. Bobby Strickland's] is the only secular record I know of on the label, and all of the gospel 45s have a blue label, but the exact typeface/design. The three copies of the 45 I've ever had were all found here in Atlanta« (quoted from here). Release dates are uncertain, and a good guess is late 1970s or early 1980s. -- For completeness sake, there is at least one other label called »Brother Love Records«, out of Philadelphia, and then we have one 45 issued by »Brother Love Production«, of Akron Ohio (details here); both have nothing to do with Atlanta's Brother Love Records.

The Brother Love 45 I happen to possess (# MA 1065) features a duet of Reverend J.T. Barnett and Sister Barnett on the A side, and Sister Barnett solo on the B side, accompanied by the Central Holiness Choir. Now, from the label prints of their 45 we do not get many clues, but the best giveaway is the choir's name. It appears that this choir belonged to the Central Holiness Church of Deliverance in 1069 Washing- ton Street, Atlanta, the founder and pastor of which was and still is Bishop J.T. Barnett. What I am not sure about is who Sister Barnett is. A fair guess that she's the same person as Evangelist Blondine Barnett, first lady at the church mentioned. To my knowledge, there are no other records by Rev. and Sister Barnett.

The two sides of this 45 are very different, which is nice. The A side is a soulful version of »You Can Go On« with a forceful piano setting the beat and Rev. & Sister Barnett engaging in sort of an answer-reply tune; the male voice has the lead. The B side, on the other hand, is an ecstatic hymn in the Holiness tradition and quite a church wrecker. Mind, you all, that the A side has one - little but unfortunately noticeable - skip right in the middle... it can't be helped but shouldn't distract I hope.

Rev. J.T. Barnett & Sister Barnett: »You Can Go On« /
Sister Barnett & Central Holiness Choir: »Home Up In Glory« on Brother Love # 1065:

Toiling On

... while we were on it, some days ago, let's have today some more of the East St. Louis Gospelettes!
     First, by way of catharsis, there is a vocal tour de force by Frances Moore with the well- known song »Keep Toiling On«. That song, or rather Frances's performance, knocks me flat. And the song's got one of the grooviest church organs I've ever heard.
     Second, by way of regeneration, you may relieve your tensity by swinging along to »If I Had My Way« ... you have to wait for the latter half of the song until it really takes off but the whole package is worth listening.

Happy Sunday all!

The East St. Louis Gospelettes (feat. Frances Moore):
»Keep Toiling On« / »If I Had My Way« from the Nashboro LP # 7220 (1980):

* * *

East St. Louis Funk Gospel

mid-week gospel

I am still about to write a series of documented posts about the »pop gospel« discus- sion. Well, I wanted to accompany the introductory post with a funky piece by the East St Louis Gospelettes, featuring the great and incomparable voice of Frances Moore (looking for a comparison, Mavis Staples might come to mind). Thing is, I am far from finished, especially when I started to research East St. Louis as kind of a side interest.

You have probably heard about the 1917 East St Louis race riot, culminating in a massacre in July. At least 49 persons were killed, the great majority of them black, and this sadly makes East St Louis hold, according to an essay in LIFE (August 27, 1965, p. 4), »the modern carnage record«. You probably know that Miles Davis is the town's most famous son, and that Josephine Baker and Chuck Berry grew up in East St. Louis (if Josephine Baker was, in 1906, born in East St. Louis or over the river in Missouri seems to be an unsettled question). You are possibly aware that actress LaWanda Page started her career in East St. Louis and that renowned dancer and choreographer Katherine Dunham chose to establish her Centers for Arts and Humanities there. You might know that Ike and Tina Turner met for the first in the Manhattan Club in East St. Louis back in the '50s.

But have you ever heard about the novel Ofay by Earl Shorris, published in 1966?
»... a young white man's search for a personal freedom which he hopes to attain in the different world of black people. Josh, a young reporter leaves Chicago, his job, and his safe suburban background to delve into the Negro life of East St. Louis. In the ghetto, with its dim bars, back rooms, junk, jazz and hustlers, he is warily and superficially accepted for he soon learns that it isn't easy to play black, nor is the situation eased when he falls in love with a Negro girl« – so ran the review of the book in EBONY, June 1966. And did you know that Harry Edwards, Founder of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) and professor of sociology at the Uni- versity of California, Berkeley, was born and raised in East St. Louis? He had, in 1968, urged black athletes to boycott the games, and the athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos were, when they raised their famous black fist salute, inspired by Edwards's stance on the issue and wore the badges of the OPHR. In 1980, Edwards published his autobiography entitled The Struggle That Must Be, a good part of which is set in East St. Louis. And are you aware that East St. Louis has, since 1976, its own Poet Laureate in the person of Eugene B. Redmond? Did you finally come across Jennifer F. Hamer's in-depth-study Abandoned in the Heartland: Work, Family, and Living in East St. Louis, published just two years ago in 2011 by the Univ. of California Press? If this was nothing new to you, you will find a lot more at the impressively elaborate website of the Southern Illinois University Illinoistown: A Cultural History of East St. Louis in the Twentieth Century.

Of course, to get closer to today's protago- nists, there were the East St. Louis Gospel- ettes (organized back in 1965 for the first time). They recorded for various labels in the 1970s and have become largely famous for their lead singer Frances Moore and their often funky songs on the borderline between modern gospel and protest & social commentary songs (much like the Loving Sisters who were active in the same period). Sometime in the first months of 1977, the Los Angeles-based label Birthright released their single BR-45-601, the A side of which is Stevie Wonder's »Have A Talk With God«. (There is no direct info avalaible as to when the single was released but it cannot have been prior to October '76 – Stevie Wonder's own version of the song was out only towards the end of September –, yet it probably predates the release of the Gospelettes' LP Love Is The Key out in May 1977 since it contains the song, too.)  However, the Gospelettes' versions is way funkier than Stevie Wonder's more polished version, and Frances Moore's voice seems to fit the song better than Stevie's rather high-ranging voice. Really, the tune is mainly a solo performance by Frances Moore, the chorus having almost no part in it – on the contrary, what we hear in the second part of the song seems to be an all-male chorus? (the East St. Louis Gospelettes actually featured two male members anyway ...). Whatever, it goes well along with the groovy tune ...

The East St. Louis Gospelettes feat. Frances Moore: »Have A Talk With God« on Birthright # 601A (1977):

Pittsburgh Gospel: The Anna Murrell Singers

mid-week gospel

At least three »Murrell Singers« are known from the gospel field, and two of them do not concern us here. I just mention them briefly to avoid confusion later on:
     (1) A group, maybe male, attested in the New York area in 1948-49. I found the following news reports about them: New York Age, July 24, 1948, p. 4: »Pastor's Aid Club of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church sponsored a program last Sunday afternoon, with Murrell Gospel Singers as guests [!] artists. Mrs. Clara Ivy was mistress of ceremonies.« - The Afro-American, March 26, 1949, reports from Brooklyn that a group called the »Murrell Singers« was among the groups appearing in a gospel program at Little Zion Baptist Church.
     (2) The Carnell Murrell Singers, who hail from Dallas, Texas, and are contempo- rary; for Carnell Murrell, see more here.

The Anna Murrell Singers

The group I'd like to present tonight are the "Anna Lee Murrell Singers" from Pittsburgh. (The photo to the left is probably taken from their only Gospel LP # 3031, rel. in 1964 or early 1965, but I haven't seen a copy of this LP yet; if anybody does happen to own it please let me know or send me scans of the cover!). During their history, the Anna Lee Murrell Singers were also billed as »Anna Murrell Singers« (e.g. on their Gospel records), »Madame Murrell Gospel Singers« (in a concert ad from 1968) and »Anna Murrell Gospel Singers« (in a news report from 1970).

The personnel of the group, according to the Gospel-Savoy files and Hayes-Laugh- ton's Gospel Discography, were for their mid-1960s recordings: Anna Lee Murrell, lead; Betty Jayne Thomas (also on piano); Geneva Bostic; Doris Beach; Verna Williams; Delores Johnson.
     *Anna Lee Murrell , founder and leader of the Murrell Singers, was born in 1930. In 1983, she was among the first winners of the Pennsylvania-based Gold Penny Award, and in 2011 she was honored as a Pittsburgh Gospel Legend. Here is the respective news report from the New Pittsburgh Courier, January 05, 2011:

(Click for larger version)

Apart from her 60's songs, Mrs. Murrell composed in 1982 a »dramatic gospel musicale« entitled Whatever Happened to the Beautiful Church?, but I do not know anything more about it.
     *Delores Johnson is today probably known as »Dee Johnson«, and you can read more about her life in an article by Sharon S. Blake, »Song Bird: For Dee Johnson, the joy of music is only a heartbeat away«.
     *Betty Jayne Thomas can be presumed to be a parent of Anna Murrell if the information is correct that a certain Tessie L. Thomas was Anna's father. About the further members of the group I do not possess any information. As far as I know, the group had no male members during the 1960s but in 1983 the musical singer Carl Hall was quoted to the effect that he »sang for ... Madame Anna Lee Murrell's Sin- gers« (from The Pittsburgh Press, November 06, 1983). It remains unclear at which period this may have been the case.

(click to enlarge)

The history of the Anna Murrell Singers began probably in or around 1953 since Mrs. Murrell in 1967 claimed that they were in the business for 15 years. The photo to the left, taken by Pittsburgh press photographer Charles »Tee- nie« Harris (more on him in the note at the end of this post), shows the Murrell Singers in August 1962 »in Calvary Baptist Church for All Night Gospel Sing for the Charles "Buggsy" Drafts Fund« (the photo is from the digitalized collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art Collection).

The group seems to have been particularly active from 1967 to 1970. There are several news items covering their appearances:

     (1) Uniontown Morning Herald, July 06, 1967 (p. 14): »Murrell Gospel Singers, under the direction of Anna Lee Murrell, will present a program on Sunday at 7 p.m. in Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Stewart Ave. The singers, one of the most popular groups of its kind in this section of the country, have sung in 25 states in the past 15 years. Ten years ago they were presented in New York City by the famed gospel promoter, Joe Bostic Jr. They are currently under contract to the Savoy Record Co. of Newark, N.J. Their current records are »A Shoulder to Lean On« and »The Lighthouse«.
     (2) Uniontown Morning Herald, September 15, 1967 (p. 20): »Murrell Gospel Singers will present a gospel musical program on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. The singers, under the direction of their founder and leader, Anna Lee Murrell, sing only gospel songs written by Miss Murrell. They have sung in 25 states in the past 15 years. (...)«.
     (3)  News Dispatch (Jeannette, Pa.) March 26, 1970: »BLACK HISTORY PROGRAM PRESENTED AT HEAD START. - The Anna Murrell Singers presented a program of »Black History Through Song« as the second in a series of programs for parents and staff of the Westmoreland County Head Start Program. (...) The Anna Murrell Singers, led by Mrs. Anna Murrell, reside in the Pittsburgh area. They have performed musical programs in 36 states as well as in Mexico and Canada. Mrs. Murrell began the program by giving a brief outline of Black History. She mentioned such outstanding persons as Benjamin Banneker, Crispus Attucks, and Phyllis Wheatley. (...) Mrs. Murrell stated that the purpose of the »Black History Through Song« program was to ease dissension among the people of America through the educational approach. She stated that »we are the ones who must make history for tomorrow.« Mrs. Murrell pointed out the significant role Black men have played in all of our major battles and wars. She also mentioned that many slave revolts took place but that most Americans have not been told of these uprisings. Mrs. Murrell listed »ice cream, golf tees, potato chips, the player piano, gas masks, and the first traffic light« as inventions created by Black people. She went on to state that »the Black cowboy and the Black frontiersman have been almost totally ignored.« Mrs. Murrell cited as a »sign of progress« the fact that »Representative James Shore of New York has introduced a bill to establish a National Commission of Afro-American History and Culture.« She suggested all parents who teach their children »who they are, what they are, where they come from, what they're worth, and to humanity.« (...)
     (4) The Pittsburgh Press, March 28, 1971, 10 f.: Excerpts from the essay GOSPEL MUSIC ... RELIGION OR ENTERTAINMENT ? by Al Donalson:
»On a recent Sunday afternoon, the Anna Murrell Singers made a joyful noise unto the Lord in St. Paul's Cathedral, Oakland. The Gothic splendor of St. Paul's was an unusual setting for a gospel music concert. Most gospel programs are performed in storefront churches, sanctified churches or the so-called »hard-shell« Baptist chur- ches in the ghettos. The program at St. Paul's was performed before a predominantly white congregation. And although there was a heavy snowfall that afternoon - not to speak of the televised Sunday sports - the cathedral was nearly filled to capacity. »We had sung there the year before,« said Mrs. Murrell, the group's leader and soloist. »At first, I had to sort of lead them into the spirit of the music by showing them how to clap their hands and pat their feet. None of them got up and did the 'Holy Dance,' but some of them were crying and really getting involved in what we were doing. They were moving with Murrell and enjoying it,« she said. The Murrell Singers are black, and like most black gospel groups, are identified as »hard-gospel« exponents as opposed to the Nashville gospel sound normally associated with white gospel singers. (...)"

In 1969, the Anna Murrell Singers did appear in a TV special on Channel 4 entitled »This Is Soul« (as announced in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 29, 1969, p. 29):

As for their released music, the Anna Murrell Singers recorded for Gospel-Savoy in 1964 a mere twelve songs, two of which remained unissued. The remaining ten songs went on their one and only Gospel LP # 3031 (The Light House) (which I am, by the way, desperately looking for ...), and four songs were released as 45s on Gospel # 1089 and # 1097. According to the Savoy discography as well as Hayes-Laughton's catalogue, the first single was recorded on 28th February 1964, the second several months later on 15th October. However, there is something wrong with these dates, because the labels of my promotional copy of Gospel # 1097 bear a radio station stamp with the date »February 27 1964«. This being hard evidence, so to speak, I am inclined to believe that the recordings were done somewhat earlier than stated in the discographies.

Well, this is about it. If somebody knows more about the Anna Murrell Singers, please contact me. For conclusion, let's hear their two songs released on Gospel # 1097 (I put the B side first on a personal inkling ...):

The Anna Murrell Singers: »Wait On The Lord« / »The Light House« on Gospel # 1097 (1964):

* * *

Additional Note:
Charles »Teenie« Harris (1908-1998) photographed for the Pittsburgh Courier for almost 40 years, documenting life in the African-American community. His appro- ximately 70.000 negatives, recently acquired by the Carnegie Museum of Art, form one of the richest-known archives of Black life in an American city from the 1930s to the 1970s.

On the net, you can see a small but significant selection of Harris's photos in the collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art. Search the database for his photos here.

Too Beautiful for Radio

Vee-Jay LP # 5046 (1963)

Today we're in for a treat, courtesy of the Patterson Singers! They featured on this blog repeatedly, albeit so far only in the guise of their third outfit (with Mildred Lane's lead vocals ... I love her voice so much, check it here!). Back in 1960, when Robert Patterson had formed the second outfit, they first appeared again as the »Patterson Singers of Brooklyn, N.Y.« (they had used this billing as early as 1954) and recorded some sides for King/Federal. In the first week of February 1962, they were signed to Vee-Jay Records; their first Vee-Jay session is recorded as of Feb. 5, '62. During the following three years, they recorded five LPs with Vee-Jay, ending in 1965 when Vee-Jay faltered.

The Patterson Singers (feat. Ruth Williams, lead vc?): »Heavenly Father« from the Vee-Jay LP # VJLP 5046 (1963):

* * *

»Heavenly Father« is a most beautiful song and has not escaped the attention of others; it was awarded prominent attention by Bob Marovich on The Black Gospel Blog when he included it in his series »Essential Gospel - Classic Recordings«. It was released on the Patterson Singers's third Vee-Jay LP, Songs of Faith (out in late 1963). I would not stress so much, as Bob does, the indebtedness of the song to the girl group sound of the time (... charming, a cross between the religious gravity of the Caravans and the watery-eyed innocence of the Chantels (“Maybe”) or the Quintones (“Down the Aisle of Love”). The recording is clearly influenced by the girl group sound that by 1963 was emanating from transistor radios ... all across America, he writes). Yet when he goes on to wonder why the song was not chosen for a single release, he brings up various interesting points: Why Vee Jay chose not to release “Heavenly Father” as a single may have had to do with it not sounding like the kind of gospel music then dominating the charts or record sales. Or it may have remained an album selection ... because it wouldn’t have been featured much, if ever, during the ensemble’s programs, not being the type of performance that would wreck a church or auditorium. Then again, perhaps it was, to paraphrase a comment once made by the late, great Alan Freed, simply too beautiful for radio.

(click to enlarge)

And Bob was right in another thing: the song isn't at all typical for what the Patterson Singers were recording at the time. In fact, their third Vee-Jay LP features 12 songs, 10 of which are uptempo. Side 1 has its fair share of tunes which even at the time were direly conventional (»Down By The River Side«, »When The Saints«, »He's Got The Whole World«) but with broad appeal to the mass public; they are arguably the least remarkable tracks on the entire LP. However, these tunes had proven their commercial value by easily crossing over from the church to secular venues, and that Vee-Jay was following this trend eagerly is shown by the fact that they released »Down By The Riverside« and »When The Saints« as the only single from this LP (Vee-Jay # 929). And it paid off, because Billboard reviewed the record ... under the heading POP Spotlight !! (issue of August 3, 1963, p. 18) Still, even the uptempo songs as performed by the Patterson Singers are often unconventionally arranged and thus stand out from many other recordings of their times. Outstanding in this sense are in particular two songs from their third Vee-Jay LP, viz. »I Am So Glad« and »He's Real«. Especially the percussion in »I Am So Glad« is quite amazing ... listen here:

The Patterson Singers: »I Am So Glad« / »He's Real« from the Vee-Jay LP # VJLP 5046 (1963):

* * *

P.S. I just like to add that the Vee-Jay LP Songs of Faith was, as often with Vee-Jay, poorly produced and obviously rushed out in a hurry. Both back cover and labels show a song list for Side 1 which does not correspond to the sequence of songs on the actual disc. In fact, songs nos. 3-6 as indicated on the label are actually nos. 1-4, and the first two songs come last on the disc. So, »Heavenly Father« is no. 5 if you play the record.

Happy Sunday all!

Pump Up the Beat!

mid-week gospel

It is a truism, easily substantiated by numerous examples but beyond the need of proof, that gospel strongly influenced r&b, then soul. In that process, also many spiritual tunes were turned into »secular« songs and eventually lost every connection to their origin. It happened much more rarely, at least in the '60s, that the conversion went the other way round. One such instance is the Swanees's 1966 release on Federal #  12542.

The Swanee Quintet (whose members debuted on this blog some two weeks ago) were a staple of Nashboro records into the mid-1960s when they had lost, after 15 years with the label, much of their former appeal. However, they had a special fan in James Brown who knew the Quintet since his early days (actually from before he started his own career) in Augusta, Ga. Brown had once worked as a shoe shine boy outside the WGAC radio station in Augusta (where the Swanees had their afternoon radio programme). The shoe shine boy grew up listening to the Swanee Quintet and in his teenage years secularised the sound of Ruben Willingham and the Swanees ... (quoted from here). In 1966, therefore, JB once again became the producer, and the result was the Federal single # 12542. That the billing on the label doesn't say »Swa- nee Quintet« or the like but »Rev. Willingham and His Swanees« might preannounce the solo career of Ruben Willingham which started soon after.

The Swanees '66 single features a »gospelized« version of JB's former hit »Try Me« and kind of a rock-gospel sermon by Willingham underlaid with a heavy beat and possibly with the participation of the brass section of the JB Band, based on JB's »Ain't That A Groove«. »Try Me Father« is often referred to merely as a gospel version of Brown's 1958 hit »Try Me« which is a pretty unfair description. Over a sterling arrangement, Johnny Jones rarely swoops into his more customary falsetto (in my opinion, there are a lot of places in the song where it almost sounds like Wilson Pickett is leading the song) but instead captures the intensity of the lyrics. ... this is not just a doo-wop-styled ballad, but rather a serious soul meditation which ... is one of the strongest records they released during their prime (quoted from here). »Try Me Father« is an obvious variation on James Brown’s classic 1958 proto-soul »Try Me« ... But turnaround is fair play, because The Godfather of Soul ... owed much of his early stage histrionics from the sound and style of gospel music performance. ... A typical Swanee track it’s not; »Try Me Father« is much better: a quintessential case of gospel borrowing from soul borrowing from gospel (quoted from here).

And certainly, typical church tunes they're not; but wonderful examples of crossover, albeit in the more unusual direction. Quite ahead of their times, really. Listen here:

Rev. Willingham and His Swanees: »That's The Spirit« / »Try Me Father« on Federal # 12542 (1966):

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Sewanee Pronounced Swanee ...

... which explains a lot (at least if you look at the label scans below).

Whatever the orthography!
The Swanee Quintet, with two songs recorded on June 2, 1958, and released that very year on Nashboro # 630.

Happy Sunday all!

The Swanee Quintet: »Where He Leads Me« / »Over in Zion« on Nashboro # 630 (1958):

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All is Gold that Glitters

(From Ebony, December 1959 issue, p. 169)

Today I went into the music bookstore I visit fairly often (obviously) and left it with a copy of Nadine Cohodas's Princess Noire. The Tumultuous Reign of Nine Simone (New York: Pantheon 2010). For different reasons I couldn't resist buying it, not the least because it was the hardcover edition and they hawked it for around 12 bucks. First thing you notice when taking the book in hand is its dust cover in gold and black (which, however, feels to the touch as if plastic would pretend to be calfskin leather ... very strange, tactily speaking). Once you remove the dust cover you'll be then eyestruck by the aureate splendour of the book cover itself that shines forth from beneath. Now whether Cohodas's book does merit all this gilded extravagancy I cannot yet say but the subject of her book certainly does.

Colpix LP 407 (not the truly original label
which has Colpix in red letters above, but
actually the 2nd label Colpix was using ...
but at least still in gold, compared with the
light blue of the following label versions)

That gold is somehow Nina Simone's colour I have always felt since I got to know her early Colpix LPs which came with a golden label, starting with her first Colpix LP 407 (The Amazing Nine Simone), recorded in July 1959 in New York.
1959 was the year when Nina Simone became a big name in the music business; in retro- spective, it certainly was the year which determined (and made) her later career, even though she herself at the time was still plan- ning to become a classical pianist and merely recorded jazz, folk, gospel and pop items to finance her piano study. »New Year 1959 found me ... with a hit record, a rising reputation, and no idea how to make the money I needed to finish my classical training«  she was later to say in her autobiography I Put A Spell On You (p. 63 f.).

Billboard ad, Sept. 28, 1959

But things went better than she thought (and she often thought only the worst to come anyhow), and the unexpected success of her Bethlehem recordings, in particular of her version of »I Loves You Porgy«, opened her many doors. The New York-based Columbia-Colpix took her under contract in April 1959 because King-Bethlehem had signed her only for one album (which had appeared in mid-1958 as Little Girl Blue). What is more, Nina Simone was dissatisfied with how she was treated and promoted by Bethlehem-King's Sid Nathan, and famously she even sold away her rights of the entire album for the sum of $3.000 (something she much regretted later since her first Bethlehem LP also features such popular tunes like »My Baby Just Cares For Me« ...). She was then not unhappy to be signed by Joyce Selznick of Colpix, especially because she was given a longterm deal. And Colpix had, obviously, greater material resources to promote her nationwide and maybe also more enthusiasm since the Colpix label had been founded only recently, in October 1958.
     Only little more than two months passed after signing the contract with Colpix, and Nina Simone found herself in a New York studio to lay down the 14 tracks in July '59, twelve of which were then released on her first Colpix LP The Amazing Nina Simone. Half of them were also released, in the course of '59, on three Colpix singles. One of those 45's, Colpix # 124, had the very felicitous combination of the uptempo gospel song »Children Go Where I Send You« with the old 1932 jazz standard »Willow Weep For Me« (the latter also recorded before by Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington). The first song, with its wonderful climax towards the end, highlights Nina's piano playing (and few songs on the first Colpix LP actually do), while the second strongly puts her vocal art in evidence. There is much else to say about her first Colpix album, but I cannot do it tonight and it has to wait for another occasion sometime soon. So let's leave it, for today, at the two songs mentioned. And I guess there will be few persons around who do not share the view that with Nina Simone, all is gold that glitters:

Nina Simone: »Children Go Where I Send You« / »Willow Weep For Me« from the Colpix LP # CP 407 (1959):

Continue here ...

Mostly Martha

mid-week gospel

Martha Bass (mother of the late Fontella) was picked by Chess/Checker to have her first LP out in early 1967 ... notwithstanding the obvious (and by this time proven) talent of Mrs Bass the fact that she got released on Checker was probably helped by the recent success her daughter had on the same label. But this needn't detract from the merits of Martha, because sometimes it needs just such coincidental and second-hand support in order to give people their due. Martha was to record three LPs for Chess/Checker in the late 1960s and on her first album, I'm So Grateful (Checker LP # 10022), we find a number of songs testifying to Martha's powerhouse voice. For a start, let's hear her overwhelmingly beautiful and heart-rending ballad »Mother's Plea« (recorded at Chicago's Ter Mar Studios, March 30th, 1966):

Martha Bass: »Mother's Plea« from the Checker LP # 10022 (1967):

(click to enlarge)

As is known, Martha Bass stayed for a little while with the Clara Ward Singers back in 1950 and she actually appears on less than a handful of Savoy recordings as member of the C.W. Singers. Afterwards she toured the churches of the South as a renowned house-wrecker. Her record contract at Chess/Checker then brought her reasonable fame even beyond the gospel circuit (and her name may have turned up occasionally before thanks to the success of her daughter Fontella). And indeed, the connection between mother and daughter was always a strong one, and they retur- ned to recording and performing together from the late 60's into the 1990s (including the 1993 CD Promises; for another recording of mother and daughter from the mid-1990s - incidentally the title song of Martha's first Checker LP - see here). Fontella even claimed that she was playing piano and singing background vocals on all of her mother's Chess/Checker recordings (a claim not fully substantiated, however).
      Nobody less than Chess's Gene Barge (who was responsible for much of the Checker output in the 1960s; see also below!) wrote the notes on the back cover of Martha's LP -  and while he did not miss to connect Martha to her then better-known daughter he also stressed, slightly enigmatically and in my view a bit out of propos, that both »sing in different categories« and thus »no problems confront them professionally.« You can read the whole bit here:

From the back cover of Checker LP # 10022

A number of songs on this album were recorded in March 1966 (including the above »Mother's Plea«), another bunch only several months later in October '66, including the traditional (?) »Everybody Will Be Happy (Over There)« and Roman Holmes's 1944 »What Manner Of Man Is This?«

Martha Bass (and uncredited choir):
»What Manner Of Man Is This« / »Everybody Will Be Happy« from the Checker LP # 10022:

* * *

Additional info:
(1) There is a re-release of this LP on CD, as recent as September 2011, on Cherry Red Records. I haven't seen it so far but the company website mentions that the CD comes with specifically written sleevenotes. These may well offer more details about Martha Bass's Checker recordings, so check there.

(2) You can listen to a 2009 telephone interview with Gene Barge, coming from the pages of Chicago's Vocalo89.5 network:


Click here for a direct link to the interview page.

My God, my Freedom

Jewel/Paula ad in Billboard,
Aug. 11, 1973, p. 25

In November 1971, Stan Lewis of Jewel-Paula signed Fontella Bass. »She is the daughter of the great gospel singer, Martha Bass. Fontella was the musical accompanist for her mother and traveled extensively through the country playing Gospel music. In 1969 Fontella and her family moved to Paris, and there she recorded several albums with The Art Ensemble of Chicago. One was the soundtrack of the French film "Les Stances à Sophie." Fontella also has had numerous successes on the domestic scene. Now she'll be released on the Paula label« ran the short Billboard notice a few days later (Dec. 04, 1971, p. 14).

Billboard, Sept. 11, 1971, p. 35

At this time, around 1970-71, Fontella's career was indeed at a turning point. For one thing, she had started to work outside the pop and soul circuit, as with the above-mentioned Art Ensemble of Chicago (The soundtrack LP Les Stances à Sophie was recorded and released in France in July 1970, and in the US only in 1971). For another thing, she was picked up by Jewel-Paula in late autumn 1971 and embarked upon another pop-/soul career. However, the resulting album Free (Paula LPS # 2213, rel. 04/1972) was to be her last LP release in the field of secular music. In August 1973, her LP Free was, justly, described as »an instant success«, and Paula- Jewel announced »plenty of tunes still waiting for release« (BB, Aug. 11, 1973, p. 22). Yet these tunes were never released for their major part, and only some of them are found on the CD re-release of the 1972 Paula LP (Varese/Sarabande 2000).
     Fontella's 1972 LP is certainly, as has often been claimed, a lost jewel in the realm of post-1970 soul music (read a review here). It was arranged and produced by Oliver Sain, Fontella's old mentor, producer and musical manager. Lightyears away from the often shallower pre-1970's productions, this LP comprises a wide array of well-arranged songs: love songs, political songs, and gospel, all adorned and made special by Fontella's outstanding performance. That we find a gospel song on her 1972 Paula LP prefigures the turn her later career took, when she focused mainly on gospel. Although she occasionally appeared live to sing R&B stuff, she only released gospel material after 1972 (apart from less than a handful of other songs exclusively on 45''). An incomplete overview over her post-1972 LP/CD releases would include the following:

• From the Root to the Source (Soul Note LP # 1006, 1980, together with her mother Martha)
• Everlasting Arms (1991)
• No Ways Tired (1995, arranged by James Cleveland and nominated for the 1996 Grammy Award of Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album)
• Speaking In Tongues (1999, together with saxophonist David Murray; read a review by Stan North here)
• Travellin' (Fontella Bass with The Voices of St. Louis, 2001)

From her 1972 Paula LP comes this gospel gem, written by accomplished guitarist Morris Dollison (his real name being said to be Maurice Dollison; he often used his showbiz name Cash McCall) and entitled »My God, My Freedom, My Home«. Musicians and background singers are not credited, so we have to live with the simple fact that it's Fontella singing. But that just about suffices, doesn't it? Ah, by the way, it could well be Fontella herself playing piano on this recording; in any case she did it on a number of other occasions. (If somebody can corroborate this, please let me know.)

Blessed Sunday all!

Fontella Bass: »My God, My Freedom, My Home« from the Paula LP Free (1972):

* * *

Lemon Prequel

mid-week gospel

Savoy LP # MG-14149 (1966)

Tonight only with a small »prequel« to the post I have in mind for next Sunday ... from the 1966 Savoy LP by the Howard Lemon Singers from Detroit, Michigan. (The album has one of the many covers by Harvey which make the '60s LPs of Savoy so special.)
You can hear them below with a swinging up- tempo version of »Amazing Grace«. On piano: Howard Lemon; lead: Joyce (Lawson) Moore, accompanied by Burnadette (!) Gaudy, Patricia Green and Brenda McDonald and, possibly but uncertain, Catherine Massey Stovall.

The Howard Lemon Singers: »Amazing Grace« from the Savoy LP # 14149 (1966):

Can't Nobody ...

mid-week gospel

... tell me that this isn't a beautiful LP! A gifted artist and a piano. That's about all you need. And Martha Abbott does give it to us, in abundance, on her 1976 Hoyt Sullivan LP Precious Is His Name (HSE LP # 1458): eight songs, a marvelous voice and about 85 ivories in black & white.

From the cover of HSE LP # 1458
(changed to B&W)

Martha Abbott's first HSE LP was recorded in Nashville and probably released in (late?) 1976; however, three songs from the album were filed for copyright only in January 1977 (if that is to mean anything). The album features two songs by Martha and several more or less known tunes by others.
     Mrs Abbott, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. John H. Clark from Columbus, Ohio, and married to deacon Robert Abbott, dedicated her life to church music. In 2001, she was among the inductees of the Columbus Senior Musicians Hall of Fame and I understand that she is still active in several Columbus baptist communities and occas- ionally gigging. Apart from this, information about her is scarce.

Several months ago, Alex on his blog posted a piece on Martha Abbott. He writes that he called her (you'll actually find her phone no. on the back of the HSE LP!) and eventually had a nice conversation after overcoming some (understandable) diffidence on her part. She said that »Precious Is His Name« (listen to it on Alex's blog) was the first song she ever wrote and that her first HSE LP was recorded in Nashville. After that, she recorded in her hometown of Columbus instead and released a total of eight LPs. Locally, Martha is a known artist and her LPs sold well throughout Ohio and in neighboring states. »You can find them everywhere« she added. Not less importantly, Mrs. Abbott stressed that she feels blessed to have been able to perform her music for so many people for such a long time. »It's all about Jesus,« she said. (Read more here) ... and yes, the cover photo from her HSE LP seems to be the only known »official« photo of her. It does seem to come, in style and posture, from a by-gone epoch so that's why I changed it to B&W above. Not so her music which resonates today.

On most songs of her LP, Martha Abbott is accompanied (almost shyly and much in the background) by an electric organ; on »Precious Is His Name« and »All Of My Life« we have only her and the piano. Some of the tunes are church ballads, but two others are true downhome piano stompers, with a hint of barrelhouse: James Cleveland's »It's So Hard To Get Along« and Andrae Crouch's »Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus« (which means »can't nobody treat me like Jesus« as the lyrics say at one point). It's just what I felt I needed to hear today. Hope you feel the same!

Martha Abbott: »It's So Hard To Get Along« / »Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus« from the HSE LP # 1458 (1976):

* * *

Heilbut Was Right, Wasn't He?

A cloudy sunday ... maybe the right day to dig deep into the crate. Out came a HOB 45 released in June 1973 (according to the stamp on both labels; it actually says »June 27 1973«).

HOB # 1379 has two songs by the Greater St. Paulettes. Reference is to the Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina. The former local pastor, Dr. W.T. Bigelow, is mentioned as arranger of »He Touched Me« on the A side; the song itself is the famous hymn written by William (Bill) J. Gaither and first recorded in 1964. Now, Durham is known not only as the birthplace of Pigmeat Markham and John D. Loudermilk but also of Clyde McPhatter and Shirley Caesar (few names, but what a bunch of artists!). Unfortunately, by 1973 black gospel (and not only black gospel) had already started to move into its »mass choir-phase«. This may have reflected changes in the forms of worship and may have been due to enhanced technology as well, but musicallywise it proved a disaster (it still does). Anthony Heilbut lamented bitterly, and oh so justly, that by taking this turn gospel music buried the vocal qualities of individual singers. What is more, mass groups are pretty much unfitted to perform quieter and less frantic (indeed less frenzical) songs; some also said, correctly I think, that the mass-choir style tends to stress rhythm over harmony and thus resembles the development from soul to disco during the early to mid-1970s. You'll hear all this on this 45. The B side is a prime example of what went wrong (at least if you're looking for vocal artistry). However, there is still a recognizable individual voice that stands out on the A side, a voice I find quite intriguing.

For the record, I have no idea to whom the voice belongs (is she Dorothy Fox, mentioned on the labels as arranger of the group?). Nor do I know anything about the Greater St. Paulettes. This was their only 45, but in early 1974 Scepter-HOB also released a LP entitled Gospel Train (HBX-2166) and containing ten songs in all, including those two you can hear now. Happy Sunday all!

The Greater St. Paulettes: »He Touched Me« / »Working In The Vineyards« on HOB # 1379 (1973):