“To Be Faithful” – Betty Lester

“To Be Faithful”
Betty Lester
From the CD To Be Faithful (2000)

In the early 1960s, Betty Lester, then a soloist with Chicago’s New Friendship Baptist Church Choir, recorded “To Be Faithful.” It was a song she wrote after experiencing a particularly anxious time as a young mother and wife trying to make ends meet on the city’s south side.

The original LP that included the archetypal Chicago-style gospel blues is long out of print and difficult to find. Although the vinyl version is out of fashion, the song’s sentiment – keeping the faith no matter what – is not. That’s why Lester decided to re-record the song, and she did it on a four-track CD that includes the next generation – daughter Leslie – in a traditional meets contemporary vibe.

I’ve heard the 1960 and 2000 versions of “To Be Faithful.” While the original crackles with the hair-raising electricity for which female gospel singers of the era are well known (just watch “Jubilee Showcase”), make no mistake: Betty Lester can still turn up the heat four decades later. It’s a traditional-style gospel that can soothe the soul and quicken the pulse like just about nothing this side of 1969.