A Gospel Tribute to Aretha Franklin

In 2007, there was a program on BET by the name of 'An Evening of Stars: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin', and as it says i the title, it is offering a tribute to the great talent of Miss Aretha Franklin. During the show, they not only celebrated her 'Pop' hits and career, they also made note of her contributions to Gospel music. Here are several big names of Gaospel music paying tribute to the Queen of Soul. First up we have BeBe Winans singing "Mary Don't You Weep", an old spiritual from before the Civil War, and Karen Clark Sheard, Kiki Sheard, Micah Stampley and Twinkie Clark sing "Jesus Be A Fence", a song written by the great Sam Cooke, and, finally, Mary Mary singing "How I Got Over", a classic written in 1951 by Clara Ward. Enjoy this Sunday morning feature!

Hope everyone on the East coast is prepared for more snow!

Mahalia Jackson • Great Gettin' Up Morning

When I think of great Gospel music, Mahalia Jackson is one of the first names that pops into my mind. There is a wonderful fullness in her voice, and an authenticity in her performances. You can most certainly hear it on "Great Gettin' Up Morning", a song written by Jackson, and released as a single in 1963. This is a wonderful recording of it, and I am thrilled to share it with you. This is Mahalia Jackson singing "Great Gettin' Up Morning'.

You can find "Great Gettin' Up Morning' on 'The Soul of Gospel, Volume 1' from iTunes and Amazon. The 20-song collection can be purchased for $6.99 and $5.99, respectively, and includes some of Mahalia's great songs, nicluding "Joshua Fit The Battle of Jericho", "Down By The Riverside", and "Go Tell It On The Mountain".

Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers • Nearer My God To Thee

The Soul Stirrers began singing together in 1926, making Gospel music in Texas. It is said they helped change the sound of Gospel music, bringing a new sound through the vocals, like bringing the falsetto into play. In 1936, they made their first recording, helping to strengthen their image in the Gospel community. In 1950, they brought on a new young man to sing lead vocals by the name of Sam Cooke, who had been singing Gospel since a young boy in Mississippi. While some were unsure about the unknown young man, he soon proved he was more than capable of handling the duties. This is Cooke singing the lead vocals on "Nearer My God to Thee".

One of their early songs to appeal to the fans was "Jesus Gave Me Water", a song written by Lucie Campbell, a composer from Mississippi born in the 19th century, and became an elementary school teacher after graduating high school. She also began publishing her Gospel music and hymns in the 1920s. In 1951, the song was recorded by The Soul Stirrers, with Cooke on lead vocals, his first 'hit' with the group. This is their recording of "Jesus Gave Me Water".

In 1957, after seven years with the group, Sam Cooke moved on to pursue his love of Pop music. Later that year, he released his first single, "You Send Me". The song, written by L. C. Cooke, Sam's younger brother, went to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was also recorded by Teresa Brewer, and many thought if things stayed true to form, the white singer would out-perform the African American singer on the national charts, as it was the segregated 1950s. But Cooke went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Brewer made it to #8. What a great way to debut on the Pop scene.

Sunday Morning • This Little Light of Mine

In 1920, composer and teacher Harry Dixon Loes wrote a Gospel song for children, and it wasn't long before it was being performed by everywhere. Check out this version of the song performed by the legedary Gospel singer Odetta, singing with the Boys Choir of Harlem on the David Letterman Show in 2001. This was the first live show following the 9/11 attacks.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Sunday Morning with Harlem Gospel Choir

While checking out music for a Sunday morning post, I ran across a video from Harlem Gospel Choir and could not resist posting it. They sing "Oh Happy Day", a number based on an 18th Century song by English clergyman Philip Doddridge but with updates and arranged by Edwin Hawkins in the 1960s. When recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers for a 1969 release, the song went to #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Hawkins' arrangement quickly became a classic, and sung by many. That would include the Harlem Gospel Choir.

"Go Down Moses" is a spiritual that describes events in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically the book of Exodus. The song was most famously done by Paul Robeson, whose deep and resonant voice injected depth to whatever he sang. The song was popular during the Civil War, especially by those active with the Underground Railroad. The song was also important to the Civil Rights activists in the 1960s. Here is the wonderful version of the Harlem Gospel Choir.

To learn more about Harlem Gospel Choir, visit their official website.

Sunday Morning with Kitty Wells

This past July, music lost a great when Kitty Wells passed away at the age of 92. This was 60 years after Kitty made history with her recording of "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" when it topped the Country charts in 1952, making Wells the first ever female artist to have that honor. She continued to have songs on the charts through the 1960s, inspiring those great women to come, like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and so many others. During her career, Wells also recorded and performed many spiritual songs, including Don Ferguson's iconic "On The Wings of a Dove", made popular in the 1960s when sung by several artists. Among those was the late Kitty Wells.

She also recorded many other great songs, including one with lyrics by S. Fillmore Bennett and music by Joseph P. Webster. In what I can only call an incredible duet, Wells & Loretta Lynn sing "In the Sweet By-and-By". What a wonderful recording this is.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Aretha's Gospel

In keeping with my chilly winter theme this first weekend of December, I am pleased to visit once again with the magnificent "Queen of Soul", Miss Aretha Franklin. I found two songs, both of which can be found on her 1956 release, 'Songs of Faith'. Interestingly enough, it was her first recording, all taped when she was singing in the church at just 14 years of age. The first of those songs I am featuring is "He Will Wash You Whiter Than The Snow".

The other in another traditional spiritual performed to perfection by the young girl who would go on to be a great superstar. Listen as she sings "While The Blood Is Running Warm".

The album has been re-released under several names, as 'The Gospel Soul of Aretha Franklin', 'Aretha's Gospel', 'Precious Lord', 'You Grow Closer', 'Never Grow Old', and 'The First Album'. You can purchase it on iTunes and Amazon.

Mahalia Jackson • Didn't It Rain

Well, it just seemed like a perfect time for Miss Mahalia Jackson to greet us all on Sunday morning, and when I found "Didn't It Rain," a traditional Gospel song, I knew I had to post it. So I do hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

After a week of Hurricane Sandy and the seeming non-stop reports of the carnage left in her tracks, I think it was time for a little cleansing. So when I found Mahalia Jackson singing "God Put A Rainbow In The Sky," it seemed perfect to me. Enjoy Mahalia singing this great traditional song.

Sunday Morning with Dublin Gospel Choir

I thought we could start our Sunday morning with a little music from the Dublin Gospel Choir, our spirited friends from Dublin, Ireland. And it seems like it would be wrong not to start with the spiritual written by Irish superstars U2. Listen as the Choir takes on "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For".



After opening with that, it seems only right to close with "Faith", a song off their album Doing Their Thing.



For More about the Dublin Gospel Choir, visit their official website. You can purchase Doing Their Thing on iTunes and Amazon.

Sunday Morning with a Heavenly Chorus

A wonderful version of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus". The artists featured in this video are Empress of Soul, Gladys Knight, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Patti Austin, Bernie K., Daryl Coley, Commissioned, Andraé Crouch, Sandra Crouch, Clifton Davis, Charles Dutton, Kim Fields, Larnelle Harris, Edwin Hawkins, Tramaine Hawkins, Linda Hopkins, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Lizz Lee, Dawnn Lewis, Babbie Mason, Johnny Mathis, Marilyn McCoo, Stephanie Mills, Jeffrey Osborne, David Pack, Phylicia Rashad, Joe Sample, Richard Smallwood, Sounds Of Blackness, Take 6, Darryl Tookes, Mervyn Warren, Thomas Whitfield, Vanessa Williams, Chris Willis, Mike E., Kim Fleming, Angela Wright, and Gayle Mayes.

Sunday Morning with Chanticleer

To continue on the tradition of posting beautiful Gospel music on Sunday mornings, I once again turn to the San Fransisco-based chorale Chanticleer. I must say, they have and have had some of the most spectacular voices, including the oh-so-talented Matt Alber. The ensemble ofter perform a capela, or without the benefit of musical support, other than their own vocal instruments. The first song you hear will be Wade In The Water, a track off the album Reflections. The song was written in 1901 by John Wesley Work II and his brother, Frederick J. Work, and performed by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. It is an iconic spiritual, and they handle it beautifully.



The first track off the brilliant How Sweet The Sound is Jesus Hits Like An Atom Bomb off the album How Sweet The Sound. The song, a gospel jewel from the 1950s, is a soulful and if you aren't clapping along, I'll have to check your pulse. Enjoy.



And, finally, once again we return to the old favorites, like (Give Me That)Old Time Religion off the album Reflections. The song is over 140 years old, with the first notice of it being sung back in 1873. It was a standard in many Protestant Hymnals, but seemed to have gained favor in the American South. Some say the slaves in the South used it as a work song, helping to keep the song around. It has been performed by many Country singers, but never quite like this.



For more about Chanticleer, check out their official website. You can purchase How Sweet The Sound from Chanticleer, or buy the physical CD from Amazon. You can purchase Reflections from iTunes, or Amazon. If you enjoyed this music, take a moment to support Chanticleer and other men's chorus who continue to make great music available to us all. Buy their music, attend their shows, or give a small donation, just help keep the music coming.

Sunday Morning with Willie Nelson

Well, in my search to find the perfect musical accompaniment to your Sunday morning ritual, be that doing the crossword puzzle in the Sunday Times, or coming back from a church service. I dig deep, and thought about it, and came up with this week's featured artist, the great Willie Nelson. This morning we will start off with I'll Fly Away, a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley. It is a favorite in many of the evangelical churches across the south.



The writers of Just A Closer Walk With Thee remain unknown, but it became popular in the African American churches in the South during the 19th century. It has been giving a multitude of treatments, from Country to R&B to Gospel. As one would expect, Willie sings it Country-style.



Amazing Grace is a Christian hymn with lyrics written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton, first published in 1779. It has been sung by countless artists since then, including Willie. This is him performing the song at Farm Aid in 2001, just 18 days after the events of 9-11.

Sunday Morning with the Davis Sisters

The Famous Davis Sisters were a Philadelphia-based gospel group founded by Ruth ("Baby Sis") Davis and featuring her sisters Thelma, Audrey and Alfreda. At a time when the gospel groups were predominantly all-male, the Davis Sisters were breaking boundaries of their own. The ladies honed their sound being raised in the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church in Philadelphia. They were signed to their first recording contract in 1947, and were making Gospel music until 1985, when they retired. Here they are singing We'll Understand It Better By And By.



In another appearance on TV Gospel Time with Brother Joe May, the ladies performed I Believe I'll Go Back Home. I managed to find the sisters credited for the composing of the song.



Have a great Sunday!