“Jesus Can Work It Out (Remix)” Dr. Charles G. Hayes and the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir (aka “The Warriors”) From the ICEE Inspirational CD The Remix, due out this summer In 1960, during the Kennedy Administration, Chicago’s Dr. Charles G. Hayes established the quintessential gospel choir now known as the Cosmopolitian Church of Prayer Choir or, more simply and appropriately, “The Warriors.” Forty-five years later, The Warriors still command a regular presence on the gospel charts. This time around, their music is hitting the stores and airwaves with the added octane of remix, courtesy of Dr. Charles T. White ...

“The World is Full of Sin”Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippifrom Checker LP 10003 1960-61 This is another song brought to my attention, thanks to Brother Jason Rosenberg. The early years of the 1960s were truly magical for black music. Motown was emerging as one of Detroit’s greatest exports, second only to the automobile. Girl groups were picking up steam on the high heels of the Chantels and Shirelles. Most spectacularly, soft, delicate, sweet soul balladry was coming into popularity, and gospel was incorporating this quieter, doo-woppy sound into its sacred repertory. A superior example of this is “The World ...

“Jesus Coming Back” – DeWayne Harvey and Unrestrained Praise [from the Aleho International Records CD Tell It] Unrestrained praise, indeed! I had the good fortune to hear DeWayne Harvey’s Florida-based ensemble perform live for the Chicago Area Gospel Announcers Guild April meeting. Among the repertory of songs the group performed from its new CD, Tell It, was “Jesus Coming Back,” a rousing, rise-from-your-seat gospel song with exciting call-and-response segments between the lead vocalist Olivia Harvey, and the ensemble. Sliding Tell It into the CD player later that afternoon, I wondered whether the recorded version of “Jesus Coming Back” would be ...

This comes to TBGB courtesy of our friend, Elder Mack C. Mason. Annually on the first Friday in the month of May, Pastor Maceo Woods andChicago’s Christian Tabernacle Church gathers for an always beautifulservice, “This Is Your Life”. The annual program sponsored by The Moving Forward Group, one of thechurch auxiliaries honors several of its unsuspecting members each year. This year’s event (May 6, 2005) was exciting as one of the honorees wasBilly Carson, host of The Gospel City Videos TV Show. The fact thatBrother Carson was kept totally in the dark was a miracle, especiallywhen you consider that Carson ...

This message comes to TBGB from Eric LeBlanc, who found the obituary in the Augusta Chronicle on 5/1/2005. James “Big Red” Anderson was an original member of the Swanee Quintet of Augusta, Georgia and recorded with the quartet for more than fifty years. James “Big Red” Anderson JONESBORO, Ga. – Entered into rest Wednesday, April 27, 2005, at theUniversity Hospital, Mr. James (Big Red) Anderson, formerly of Holly St., beloved husband of Mrs. Willie Mae Anderson, Jonesboro. Other survivorsinclude a step-daughter, step-grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews,other relatives and friends. Funeral services will be held Thursday, May 5, 2005, at ...

This notice comes to TBGB courtesy of Elder Mack C. Mason and his always-informative Gospel Trade E-Zine: The life and times of the late Pastor C. L. Franklin (father of the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin) is examined in a new book “Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America” By Nick Salvatore. Salvatore, an award winning author with several books, begins the Franklin story in the Mississippi Delta, through Memphis and finally to the Detroit church and neighborhood, where the Reverend both effected change and found controversy as well, such as ...

From GOSPELflava.com — the Southeast Inspirational Choir, an aggregation that once counted gospel superstar Yolanda Adams among its ranks, has lost two of its pioneering members in the past two months: Passing of Carl Preacher — GOSPELflava.com mourns the recent passing of Carl Preacher, known for his work with the Southeast Inspirational Choir, a member of the B,C & S Trio (together with Shirley Joiner and the late Brenda Waters). Preacher, an organist and vocalist, as well as a songwriter, had his own solo album on Savoy Records from the mid 1970’s, and recorded with The GMWA Mass Choir. (April ...

“Somewhere Listening” The Soul Seekers GospoCentric/Zomba Gospel 2005 The latest quartet to take the name The Soul Seekers is a group of young men whose classic style belies their age. Although organized less than five years ago by a cadre of pastors’ sons, the Soul Seekers sound as if they have traversed the gospel highway for many decades. This seems surprising until you learn that the ensemble actually came together during an impromptu tribute performance celebrating Golden Age quartets. Clearly, in their live recording of “Somewhere Listening” from their forthcoming CD, the Soul Seekers continue to honor their gospel music ...

From Sam Edwards of Friends of Negro Spirituals: John Patton, Lyric TenorFebruary 18, 1930 – April 21, 2005 Lyric tenor John Patton, one of the foremost authorities on the Negro Spirituals heritage, died on Thursday, April 21, 2005, at an unknown time, apparently in his apartment in Richmond, California. Patton, who was born on February 18, 1930 in Garland City, Arkansas on a sharecropper farm, had been a long time resident of Richmond, California in which he attended high school and played football while a student. He was a member of Oakland, California’s Down Memorial United Methodist Church. He was ...

CD Review: And the Spirit Moved… Jonathan Blanchard (private pressing)Available at www.jonathanblanchard.com A bass singer and a spiritual is a match made in vocal Heaven. Likely because the lower register is a sonic metaphor for gravity, dignity, and wisdom, it fits nicely with the spirituals’ lyricism and thematic content. In truth, one can hardly think of spirituals such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “Deep River,” or “Steal Away” without also imagining a deep, resonant bass voice interpreting them. This brings us to the artistry of Jonathan Blanchard. Twenty-seven year old Memphian Jonathan Blanchard is an exceptionally gifted basso. With continued ...