The Gay Family – God Will Take Care Of You

The Gay Family

Gospel Friend Records (available October 1, 2012)

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Ask someone to name a female gospel group from Chicago,and he or she is likely to answer, “the Caravans.”  And that makes sense, as the Caravans were one of the most popular gospel groups of all time.

But before, during, and after the Caravans were the Gay Sisters of Chicago.  Evelyn, Mildred, and Geraldine Gay (their brother Donald joined them later) defied the prevailing stereotype of the Pentecostal singer by dressing in the finest clothing and infusing hymns and gospels with harmonies performed with sweetness, precision, and that straight-outta-Chicago lyric attack.

Thanks to Per Notini and Gospel Friend Records, a collection of classic Gay Family recordings from the 1940s to the 1970s are commercially available on CD for the first time.  God Will Take Care of You, named for the Gay Sisters’ first single and biggest hit, is a roughly chronological sampling of the family’s recordings for Savoy, Decca, Rush, Song Bird, PEA, B&F, Davis, and other labels.  The CD also includes their first, and extremely rare, single, “Just A Little Talk With Jesus,” recorded in 1948 for Dolphin’s of Hollywood.

If you, like me, have heard many of these recordings before, you will be pleased to listen to them cleanly remastered and without the snap, crackle, and pop of used vinyl.  What also struck me in hearing the 27 selections in sequence is just how dominant was the jazz influence on the Gay Family’s music.  From Mildred and Geraldine’s piano styling (Geraldine was referred to as the “Errol Garner of Gospel”) to Donald’s chesty baritone, the drive of urban jazz is evident throughout.  On “I’m a Soldier,” Evelyn plays the piano as if she took lessons from Arizona Dranes.  On tracks such as “So Glad I Know” and “Heavenly Home,” it is easy to imagine that Donald and Evelyn, respectively, could easily have become successful jazz and blues singers. 

Among the musicians and singers assisting the Gay Family on various selections are Jessy Dixon and the Gospel Chimes, saxophonist Ben Branch, organist Willie Webb, and violinist William Petty.  Petty has been forgotten today, but in the 1940s and 1950s, he was quite popular among gospel and classical artists alike.

Robert Sacre’s liner notes, informed by a lengthy interview with Donald Gay, are fascinating and describe a circumstance in Geraldine’s life that took me by surprise when I first heard of it, but I won’t spoil it here.  You’ll have to read it for yourself.

God Will Take Care of You is a marvelous tribute to the Gay Sisters.  It will whet appetites to learn more about the group, and hear more of their music.