Spreading The Word - Early Gospel Music

Selected sides from a vital American musical tradition. Fully annotated and fully remastered. Featuring Washington Phillips, Rev ‘Shy’ Moore, Arizona Dranes, Bessie Johnson, Luther Magby, Prof Johnson and many more. The instruction was quite clear; it appears in Psalm 81: “make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob”, and African Americans took it to heart.

Timbrels and tabrets, the recommended devices, being hard to locate in the United States of the Twentieth Century, they resorted to more readily acquired instruments such as the guitar and the piano to ensure that, even when singing of hell fire and damnation, the ‘noise’ that they made filled the pre-scribed description.

The guitar, being easily portable, was the favoured instrument of street corner evangelists but what this collection concentrates on is performances more closely associated with churches, performances sometimes backed up by a congregation and featuring a range of instruments from the instantly recognizable to the downright mysterious.

CD 1: In That Day / Arizona Dranes / It’s All Right Now / Arizona Dranes / John Said He Saw A Number / Arizona Dranes / My Soul Is A Witness For The Lord / Arizona Dranes / Cruci xion / Arizona Dranes / Sweet Heaven Is My Home / Arizona Dranes / Bye And Bye We’re Going To See The King / Arizona Dranes / I’m Going Home On The Morning Train / Arizona Dranes / Lambs Blood Has Washed Me Clean / Arizona Dranes / I’m Glad My Lord Saved Me With / Arizona Dranes / I Shall Wear A Crown / Arizona Dranes / God’s Got A Crown / Arizona Dranes / He Is My Story / Arizona Dranes / Just Look / Arizona Dranes / I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go / Arizona Dranes / Don’t You Want To Go / Arizona Dranes / The Royal Telephone / Sister Mary M. Nelson / Judgement / Sister Mary M. Nelson / The Seal Of God / Sister Mary M. Nelson / Isaiah / Sister Mary M. Nelson / Thou Carest Lord For Me / Holy Ghost Sanctified Singers / Jesus Throwed Up A Highway For Me / Holy Ghost Sanctified Singers / Sinner, l’d Make A Change / Holy Ghost Sanctified Singers / When I Get Inside The Gate / Holy Ghost Sanctified Singers / God Give Me A Light / Louisville Sanctified Singers / So Glad I’m Here / Louisville Sanctifed Singers

CD 2: Mother’s Last Words To Her Son / Washington Phillips / Take Your Burden To The Lord And Leave It There / Washington Phillips / Paul And Silas In Jail / Washington Phillips / Lift Him Up That’s Al / Washington Phillips / Denomination Blues:One / Washington Phillips / Denomination Blues:Two / Washington Phillips / I Am Born To Preach The Gospel / Washington Phillips / Train Your Child / Washington Phillips / Jesus Is My Friend / Washington Phillips / What Are They Doing In Heaven Today? / Washington Phillips / A Mother’s Last Words To Her Daughter / Washington Phillips / I’ve Got The Key To The Kingdom / Washington Phillips / You Can’t Stop A Tattler:1/ Washington Phillips / You Can’t Stop A Tattler:2 / Washington Phillips / I Had A Good Father And Mother / Washington Phillips / The Church Need Good Deacons / Washington Phillips / No Room At The Hotel / Bessie Johnson / Key To The Kingdom / Bessie Johnson / One Day / Bessie Johnson / The Whole World In His Hand / Bessie Johnson / The Great Reaping Day / Bessie Johnson / He Got Be er Things For You / Bessie Johnson / He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands / Bro. Williams Memphis Sanc ed Singers / I Will Meet You At The Sta on /Bro. Williams Memphis Sanc ed Singers / He’s The Lily Of The Valley / Texas Jubilee Singers / He’s Coming Soon / Texas Jubilee Singers

CD 3: The Master Came And Called Me / Elder Richard Bryant / Saul, A Wicked Man / Elder Richard Bryant / Come Over Here / Elder Richard Bryant / How Much I Owe For Love Divine / Elder Richard Bryant / Lord, Lord, He Sure Is Good To Me / Elder Richard Bryant / Watch Ye Therefore, You Know Not The Day / Elder Richard Bryant / A Lie Was Told But God Know’d It / Elder Richard Bryant / A Wild Man In Town / Elder Richard Bryant / He Shut The Lion’s Mouth / Elder Richard Bryant / Everybody Was There / Elder Richard Bryant / Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit / Luther Magby / Jesus Is Ge ng Us Ready For The Great Day / Luther Magby / King Of Kings / Rev. Johnny Blakey / Jesus Was Here On Business / Rev. Johnny Blakey / Warming By The Devil’s Fire / Rev. Johnny Blakey / The Devil Is Loose In The World / Rev. Johnny Blakey / Soon We’ll Gather At The River / Southern Sanc ed Singers / Where He Leads Me I Will Follow / Southern Sanc ed Singers / Where Shall I Be / Prof. Johnson & His Gospel Singers / Give Me That Old Time Religion / Prof. Johnson & His Gospel Singers / Angels / Prof. Johnson & His Gospel Singers / Standing In The Safety Zone / Prof. Johnson & His Gospel Singers / When I Move To The Sky / Sister Lo e Peavy / Nobody’s Fault But Mine / Sister Lo e Peavy / Christ, The Teacher / Rev. E.S. ‘Shy’ Moore / The Solemn Warning / Rev. E.S. ‘Shy’ Moore

CD 4: What Kind Of Man Jesus Is / McIntorsh & Edwards / Since I Laid My Bur- den Down / McIntorsh & Edwards / The 1927 Flood / McIntorsh & Edwards / The La er Rain Is Fall / McIntorsh & Edwards / Take A Stand / McIntorsh & Ed- wards / Behold! A King Shall Rise / McIntorsh & Edwards / Earth Is No Res ng Place / Jessie May Hill / The Cruci xion Of Christ / Jessie May Hill / God Rode In The Windstorm / Jessie May Hill / Un tled / Jessie May Hill / Jessie May Hill / This World Is Not My Home / Jessie May Hill / Sunshine In The Shadows / Jessie May Hill / I_m Going To Li Up A Standard For My King / Jessie May Hill / Traveling / Goldia Haynes / The Great Judgement Day / Goldia Haynes / Oh Lord, How Long? / Goldia Haynes / There’s A Hand Leading Me / Goldia Haynes / I’m Going To Hold On / Goldia Haynes / The Truth In The Gospel / Goldia Haynes / He’s Coming Soon / Laura Henton / Heavenly Sunshine / Laura Henton / Lord, You’ve Sure Been Good To Me / Laura Henton / I Can Tell The World About This / Laura Henton / Plenty Good Room In My Father’s Kingdom / Laura Henton / Lord, I Just Can’t Keep From Crying Some mes / Laura Hen- ton / Let Us Therefore Come / Rev. Joe Lenley / Lord Who Shall Abide In Thy Tabernacle / Rev. Joe Lenley