In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument

Soul Stirrers

Group.

Indisputably among the premier gospel groups of the modern era, the Soul Stirrers pioneered the contemporary quartet sound. Pushing the music away from the traditional repertoire of jubilees and spirituals towards the visceral, deeply emotional hard gospel style so popular among postwar listeners, the group's innovative arrangements -- they were the first quartet to add a second lead -- and sexually charged presence irrevocably blurred the lines between religious and secular music while becoming a seminal influence on the development of rock & roll and soul, most notably by virtue of their connection to the legendary Sam Cooke. The Soul Stirrers' origins date back to 1926, where in the town of Trinity, TX, baritone Senior Roy Crain formed a quartet with a number of other teens with whom he attended church. After one of the group's early appearances, a member of the audience approached Crain to tell him how their performance had "stirred his soul," and from this chance compliment the Soul Stirrers were officially born.

The original group fell apart soon after, but Crain continued to pursue a singing career; upon relocating to Houston during the early '30s, he joined a group called the New Pleasant Green Singers on the condition that they change their name to the Soul Stirrers. So rechristened, this incarnation of the quartet made a 1936 field recording for Alan Lomax; as other members dropped out, Crain brought in replacements, finally arriving at the classic early lineup which also included bass Jesse Farley, baritone T.L. Bruster, second lead James Medlock, and, most notably, lead R.H. Harris, whose high, crystalline voice remains the inspiration for virtually all great male quartet leads to follow since. After moving to Chicago, the Soul Stirrers began shifting away from the signature tight harmonies and compact songs of traditional gospel towards a harder style distinguished by shifting leads and performances elongated to increase their emotional potency; they also began performing new material from the pens of Thomas A. Dorsey, Kenneth Morris, and others.

Throughout the 1940s, the Soul Stirrers' reputation grew; not only were they constantly on tour, but they booked most of the major gospel programs in the Chicago area -- in their spare hours, they even operated their own cleaning business. When the grind got to be too much for Medlock, he retired from the road, and was replaced by onetime Golden Echo Paul Foster. In early 1950, the Soul Stirrers signed to the Specialty label, debuting with the single "By and By"; it was quickly followed by "I'm Still Living on Mother's Prayer" and "In That Awful Hour," both originals composed by Detroit's Reuben L.C. Henry. In total, the Soul Stirrers recorded over two dozen tracks for Specialty in 1950 before Harris quit the group that same year; many predicted a dire future, especially when it was announced that his replacement was a relatively unknown 20-year-old named Sam Cooke. When Cooke made his recording debut with the Soul Stirrers in 1951, however, any reservations were quickly dispelled -- blessed with a gossamer voice even sweeter and more graceful than Harris', he would take the group to even greater heights than before.

The first Soul Stirrers 78 to feature Cooke, "Jesus Gave Me Water," was a major hit, and with his good looks the young singer made an instant impact with female audiences, in the process becoming the gospel circuit's first sex symbol. The group's popularity continued to soar, but as the Soul Stirrers entered their third decade, the daily grind began to wear on its members, and soon Bruster retired; he was replaced by baritone Bob King, who also doubled as a guitarist, becoming their first-ever steady instrumentalist. In 1954, the Soul Stirrers briefly added Julius Cheeks to their roster; after lending his raspy vocals to a recording of "All Right Now," however, contractual obligations forced him to exit almost as quickly as he arrived. In 1956, Cooke finally crossed over to the pop market, and was replaced by ex-Highway QC Johnnie Taylor; while Taylor himself would also enjoy pop success in the years to follow, he failed to command the same devotion as his predecessor. Lineup changes continued regularly in the years to follow, but the Soul Stirrers forged on, with new, younger members keeping the group afloat into the 1990s.

Discography

Displaying 1-5 of 5 items.

Soul Stirrers : Heaven Is My Home

Review: When Cooke left the Soul Stirrers for a pop career in 1957, Paul Foster tried to carry on alone but soon realized he was most effective as a foil to a high tenor. So he hired Kansas City's Johnnie Taylor, and the 19-year-old tenor soon assuaged the disappointment over Cooke's departure with a sweet tone that seemed to make the lyrics hum as he soared up and down through the octaves. The 24 tracks on this album, recorded from 1953 to '59, feature 10 Foster leads, nine Taylor leads, and five split leads. Only two of these takes have been previously released.

Songlist: Christ Is All, He's My Rock (Wait on Jesus), In a Few More Days, Golden Bells, Sinner Run to Jesus, Heaven is My Home, Until Then, Out on a Hill, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Loved Ones are Waiting, The Love of God, When the Gates Swing Open, The Lord Laid His Hands on Me, That's All I Need to Know, My Life Belongs to Him, There's Not A Friend Like Jesus, Heaven is My Home

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Soul Stirrers : Jesus Gave Me Water

Review: Lots of previously unreleased material here including a gripping nearly four minute riff between Cooke and the awesome Julius Cheeks.

Songlist: Jesus Gave Me Water, Christ Is All, Come, Let Us Go Back to God, I'm on the Firing Line, How Far Am I From Canaan?, Jesus Done Just What He Said, He's My Rock, Joy, Joy to My Soul, I'm Gonna Build on That Shore, Until Jesus Calls Me Home, Jesus Will Lead Me to That Promised Land, It Won't Be Very Long, Let Me Go Home, Someday Somewhere, Jesus Paid the Debt, End of My Journey, He's My Friend Until the End, I Have a Friend Above All Others, I Gave Up Everything to Follow Him, Come and Go to That Land, I'm So Happy in the Service of the Lord, Any Day Now, Jesus, I'll Never Forget, All Right Now, Pray

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Soul Stirrers : Shine On Me

Review: Extensive liner notes to this collection of classics compiled and produced by noted musicologist Opal Nations.

Songlist: By and By, I'm Still Living on Mother's Prayer, Feel Like My Time Ain't Long, Today, I Have a Right to the Tree of Life, In That Awful Hour, Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb, Shine on Me, Faith and Grace, Everybody Ought to Love Their Soul, Blessed Be the Name of the Lord, I'm Gonna Move in the Room With the Lord, My Loved Ones Are Waiting for Me, How Long, Who'll Be the One (There's a Vacant Room in Glory), The Lord Is My Shepherd, Christ Is All (The World to Me), By and By, I'm Still Living on Mother's Prayer, Feel Like My Time Ain't Long, I Have a Right to the Tree of Life, In That Awful Hour, Faith and Grace, My Loved Ones Are Waiting for Me

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Shine on Me

Soul Stirrers : The Last Mile of The Way

Review: It has been argued Sam Cooke made his most inspired recordings during the six years (1951 -1957) he spent as a member of the Souls Stirrers. This compact disc delves deep into the famous quarete's period with Cooke and includes some of his best-loved gospel songs. While Cooke solos on all but one of the twenty-eight tracks, also featured are the outstanding contributions of Paul Foster, J.J.Farley, Juliius Cheeks and in a rare vocal performance Souls Stirrer's guitarist Bob King.

Songlist: The Last Mile of the Way, Mean Old World, That's Heaven to Me, Were You There?, Lord Remember Me, Pilgrim of Sorrow, He's My Guide, The Last Mile of the Way, Pilgrim of Sorrow, All Right Now, He'll Make a Way, Jesus I'll Never Forget, Come and Go to That Land, Just as I Am, He'll Welcome Me, He's My Friend Until the End, Jesus Paid the Debt, Jesus Will Lead Me to That Promised Land, It Won't Be Very Long, How Far Am I from Canaan?, Let Me Go Home

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Peace In The Valley

Soul Stirrers : The Soul Stirrers With Sam Cooke

Review: Sam Cooke was one of the most influential singers and songwriters of the latter half of the twentieth century. Between l957 and 1965 he had 29 top 40 hits on the pop charts and 34 on the R&B charts. This recording is about his real roots as a gospel singer. As a boy he sang with two brothers and two sisters in a gospel group called the Singing Children. At age 15 he became the lead singer of the Highway Q.C.'s (yes, they became famous) which were tutored by members of the nationally renown Soul Stirrers. In return, the Highway Q.C.'s became almost like a farm club of future singers. Sam was recruited to take the place of the great R.H. Harris when he retired at the end of 1950. He proceeded to put his own stamp on the group, not only because of his voice, but the fact that he was the most prolific writer in the group. His songs include classics such as 'Nearer To Thee,' 'Be With Me Jesus,' 'Touch The Hem Of His Garment' and 'That's Heaven To Me.' This recording traces his gospel career, both unaccompanied and accompanied by small bands.

Songlist: Peace in the Valley, It Won't Be Very Long, How Far Am I From Canaan?, Just Another Day, Come and Go to that Land, Any Day Now, He'll Make a Way, Nearer to Thee, Be With Me Jesus, One More River, I'm So Glad (Trouble Doesn't Last Always), Wonderful, Farther Along, Touch the Hem of His Garment, Jesus Wash Away My Troubles, Must Jesus Bear This Cross Alone?, That's Heaven to Me, Were You There?, Mean Old World, Lord Remember Me, Lovable, Forever, I'll Come Running Back to You, That's All I Need to Know, I Don't Want to Cry

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