Walking Up The King's Highway

The Journey of Soul Gospel

Gospel music---as we know it, at least---is a relatively new phenomenon, but try telling that to the teenager closest to you who thinks the pop hits of two years ago are passe.  The evolution of black gospel music has really taken place only during the last hundred years, and the genre has certainly come a long way in such a short amount of time.  Field hollers, slave songs and old spirituals---in combination with white protestant church hymns---preceded and influenced the songwriting of great composers like Charles Albert Tindley in the first few decades of the twentieth century.  In 1922, the Nashville-based National Baptist Convention published Gospel  Pearls, the Afro American denomination's first official songbook.  One year later, bluesman Thomas A. Dorsey copyrighted his first sacred song, "If I Don't Get There."  Dorsey would straddle the fence between blues and the sanctified for some years before channeling all of his creative efforts into producing material he would refer to as "gospel."  Of course, he would become known as the "Father of Gospel Music," and to say his impact has been profound would be a gross understatement.  Unlike the field of blues, which was originally dominated by female soloists (e.g.-Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ida Cox), the earliest black gospel stars were male groups like the Dixie Hummingbirds, Golden Gate Quartet, Fairfield Four and the Swan Silvertones.  Sister Rosetta Tharpe would become the first big gospel solo star with her 1938 recordings of "That's All," "The Man and I," "The Lonesome Road" and "Rock Me," her own interpretation of Dorsey's "Hide Me In Thy Bosom."  A host of other great female singers would follow her, including Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Martin, Marion Williams, Dorothy Love Coates and Bessie Griffin.  Further, gospel music was the proving ground for a number of artists who would later launch successful mainstream pop and R&B careers.  Perhaps the earliest, best-known crossover artist was Sam Cooke.

Fast forward past the Golden Age of gospel music, and you find the Edwin Hawkins Singers taking gospel into uncharted territory in the late 1960s with their exciting arrangement of "Oh Happy Day."  The Staples Singers also successfully crossed over into the mainstream in the 1970s with hits like "I'll Take You There," "Let's Do It Again" and "Respect Yourself."  From about the same era, superstar Aretha Franklin returned to her gospel roots, releasing her double platinum-selling Amazing Grace in 1972.  Additionally, Andrae Crouch, an important figure in the Jesus Movement, emerged in the early 1970s, and today his songs grace the pages of some of the Church's most beloved hymnals.  The 1980s and 1990s ushered in groups like the Winans and Take 6; the popular duos, BeBe and CeCe Winans and Mary Mary; and numerous solo acts, including Al Green (who had risen to stardom in the field of R&B), John P. Kee, Fred Hammond, Dottie Peoples, Hezekiah Walker, Helen Baylor, Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Dorinda Clark Cole and Smokie Norful. 

Today, black gospel music encompasses much more than the traditional four-part male harmonies, stirring choirs and virtuoso soloists for which it had always been known.  A new generation of artists---appealing to devotees of pop, rap and adult contemporary---have taken gospel music to new heights, winning over fans in locales as varied as college campuses, inner city ghettos and urban megachurches.

Southern Relevance

While the American South cannot claim to be the birthplace of gospel music, many of the field's most important figures were from the South, including Thomas A. Dorsey (b. Villa Rica, Georgia), Sallie Martin (b. Pittfield, Georgia), Rev. William Herbert Brewster Sr. (b. Somerville, Tennessee), Roberta Martin (b. Helena, Arkansas), Rosetta Tharpe (b. Cotton Plant, Arkansas), Mahalia Jackson (b. New Orleans), Marion Williams (b. Miami) and Dorothy Love Coates (b. Birmingham).  Though some performers made a name for themselves in cities like Chicago or Philadelphia, the influence of the South, no doubt, played a pivotal role in molding them as artists and songwriters.   Still, others were born on northern soil, but their parents were of southern origin.  Undoubtedly, the South has left an indelible mark upon black gospel music . . . directly and indirectly.

About the Collection . . .

Walking Up the King's Highway:  The Journey of Soul Gospel is comprised of items from the personal collection of Southern Edition publisher and editor, Greg Freeman.  Ever-changing and growing, new items are added to this display as soon as they are acquired.  Items are to be displayed in their respective category according to age:  Pre-1900, 1900-1959, 1951-1959, 1960-1969, 1970-1999 and 21st Century.  Additionally, the source from which the item was obtained and the date of acquisition are included with each component of the collection.

1900-1950

Rev. J. M. Gates 78 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on December 23, 2007 from Richard C. Smith, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA Side 1:  "Need of Prayer"; Side 2:  "Death's Black Train is Coming" An Atlanta minister, Rev. J. M. Gates was described by author Tony Heilbut as "the most celebrated shouting preacher."  Gates's "Death's Black Train is Coming" (pictured above), the product of a field recording in 1926, was a smash hit, selling thousands of copies.     Rosetta Tharpe 78 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on December 23, 2007 from Richard C. Smith, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA Side 1: "Two Little Fishes and Five Loaves of Bread"; Side 2:  "Strange Things Happening Every Day" (Recorded September 1944)  Immensely popular---yet controversial at times---Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973) was aptly described by former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman as "the first big solo star of gospel" in his book, Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey:  A Journey to Music's Heart & Soul.  A dynamic, pioneering performer, whose repertoire included gospel, blues and jazz, Tharpe paved the way for artists like Mahalia Jackson, the Ward Singers and Aretha Franklin---quite a feat for a musician (and a woman, at that!) with humble beginnings in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. While the 1940s proved to be the crux of her commercial success, Rosetta Tharpe had made her recording debut in 1938 with Decca Records.  It was also in that year that she appeared in John Hammond's historic From Spirituals to Swing concert at New York's Carnegie Hall.  "Rock Me," Tharpe's interpretation of Thomas Dorsey's "Hide Me in Thy Bosom," reportedly became the first million-selling gospel record.  Her other gospel recordings included "My Journey To The Sky" and "Down By the Riverside" as well as her own compositions "Up Above My Head," "I Looked Down the Line (And I Wondered)," "Strange Things Happening Every Day" (pictured above) and "Beams of Heaven."  To the disdain of the devoutly traditional Afro American churches of the American South, Tharpe recorded blues/jazz numbers, including "I Want A Tall Skinny Papa" and "Shout, Sister, Shout!" in 1942. "Strange Things Happening Every Day" spent eleven weeks on the "race charts," peaking at number two in April 1945.  Some three and a half decades later, country music icon Johnny Cash included his version of "Strange Things" on his double LP release, A Believer Sings the Truth (Cachet Records, 1979). Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight with the Sam Price Trio 78 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on April 12, 2005 from Tim Edwards, Morgantown, Indiana, USA Side 1:  "Up Above My Head"; Side 2:  "My Journey to the Sky" (Recorded November 1947) Despite the criticisms, Rosetta Tharpe took gospel music to secular venues like the Cotton Club in New York.  She became a hit in Europe and even performed in 1960 at the first Jazz Festival d'Antibes Juan (Europe's first jazz festival) in France. Noted for her charismatic stage presence and finger-picking style reminiscent of country blues guitarists, Tharpe influenced a number of musicians including gospel diva Marion Williams, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Lee Lewis and Grammy winner Bonnie Raitt.  Oddly enough, Tharpe's appearances on TV Gospel Time, a popular syndicated show of the 1960s, have earned her a youthful following in the 21st century.  Video clips of these performances, which were highlighted by blistering guitar riffs (via Tharpe's white Gibson Les Paul SG) and the backing vocals of an electrifying gospel choir, have been included in PBS's documentary film Martin Scorcese Presents The Blues:  A Musical Journey and the acclaimed recording project, Shout, Sister, Shout:  A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (MC Records).  Additionally, Tharpe's TV Gospel Time clips have been shared on YouTube.com. Marie Knight with the Sam Price Trio 78 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on December 23, 2007 from Richard C. Smith, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, USA Side 1:  "Live the Life"; Side 2:  "Seal of Heaven" The collaboration of Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight was gospel music's first female duo.  With a string of hits, including "Didn't It Rain" and "Up Above My Head," the pair were much sought after and even toured with the Dixie Hummingbirds in the late 1940s, playing before numerous capacity crowds. Born in Sanford, Florida in 1918, Marie Knight was especially known for her wonderful contralto voice, the perfect contrast to Tharpe.  Following her split with Tharpe, Knight tried her hand at secular music, but a lackluster career performing blues and pop sent her retreating to the gospel music fold.  Eventually becoming a minister, Knight is most recently noted for recording "Didn't It Rain," her contribution to the critically acclaimed record, Shout, Sister, Shout!:  A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe (MC Records, 2003). "Live the Life," elsewhere referred to as "I'm Going to Live the Life I Sing About in My Song," was Knight's recording of a Thomas Dorsey song with which Mahalia Jackson and Marion Williams also enjoyed success.

Pearls of Paradise Acquired in an eBay auction on November 1, 2007 from The Evangelmen, a southern gospel quartet based in Fresno, California, USA Published by Stamps-Baxter Music Company in 1936, Pearls of Paradise contains original compositions and arrangements by Cleavant Derricks (1910-1977), one of the first black writers to gain acceptance in the white churches of the segregated South during the first half of the 20th century.  White gospel quartets such as Hovie Lister & The Statesmen and the Cathedrals, along with a host of other artists including Elvis Presley, would record his songs.  It was in Pearls of Paradise that Derricks's hugely popular "We'll Soon Be Done With Troubles and Trials," a song he dedicated to his parents, was first published.     Treasure Chest of Favorite Hymns by Thomas A. Dorsey Acquired in an eBay auction on April 15, 2007 from Steve Twenter, Columbia, Missouri, USA A copyright date for Treasure Chest of Favorite Hymns by Thomas A. Dorsey (New York:  Treasure Chest Publications) is not given, but this pamphlet of songs is presumably from the 1940s or earlier.  Songs include the classic "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" as well as "Today (Evening Song)," "I Know My Redeemer Lives," "There's a God Somewhere" and "In My Savior's Care."     *Mahalia Jackson Side 1:  "What Could I Do"; Side 2:  "Even Me" 78 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on December 12, 2004 from Tom Kelly, St. Louis, Missouri, USA One of her earliest releases and a product of only her second studio session recording for New York-based Apollo Records, this old 78 rpm by Mahalia Jackson features "What Could I Do," a song penned by Thomas Dorsey, the "Father of Gospel Music." Widely regarded as the greatest gospel singer ever, Jackson was born in a New Orleans shanty in 1911, but went on to thrill audiences in cities like London, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Stockholm and Bordeaux.  She sang for four U.S. presidents and even graced the stage at Constitution Hall in 1960 in the presence of Washington statesmen.  Just years earlier, black opera singer Marian Anderson had been denied the right to sing there.

1951-1959

*The Treasury of Negro Spirituals Acquired in an eBay auction on July 9, 2004 from Tony Jomaa, West Bennington, Vermont, USA Edited by H. A. Chambers, The Treasury of Negro Spirituals (London:  Blandford Press, 1953) includes a foreword by opera star Marian Anderson.  Featuring arrangements of traditional spirituals like "Roll, Jordan, Roll," "Steal Away," "Standin' in de Need of Prayer," "I Want to Be Ready," "Ev'ry Time I Feel de Spirit," "Dry Bones" and "Little David, Play on Your Harp," the book also contains original gospel compositions like "Be Still and Listen" (by Paul Hogue), "Roll Away That Stone" (by Richard M. Hadden) and "The Glow Within" (by Will Reed). *Mahalia Jackson, Town Hall, December 22, 1957 Concert Program Acquired in an eBay auction on August 12, 2004 from Mark Schiffer, Wayne, New Jersey, USA Accompanied by pianist Mildred Falls and organist Louise Weaver, Mahalia Jackson performed at New York's Town Hall at 123 West 43rd Street in December 1957.  Her 16-song set included "Bless This House," "Silent Night," "Somebody Bigger Than You and I," "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" and "Go Tell It On the Mountain."  The concert program, just below the list of songs, featured a disclaimer in small print:  "Because of the spontaneous nature of Miss Jackson's performance, the order of her selections as well as the selections themselves are subject to change."  Spontaneous she was, indeed! In his book Got To Tell It:  Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel (New York and Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 1992), Jules Schwerin relates producer George Avakian's recollection of this particular Town Hall concert:  ' . . . the audience was so responsive, they resisted Mahalia's finishing her part of the program---she had to go into overtime, singing encore after encore.  I remember, because I got billed for it!'  Alex Bradford 45 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on December 14, 2007 from Jeff Coppage, Dundee, Kentucky, USA Side 1:  "He Leadeth Me"; Side 2:  "Come On, Let's Go" A child prodigy, Alex Bradford was noted for his multi-octave voice.  Born in Bessemer, Alabama, he got his first big break, singing with the Roberta Martin Singers in Chicago.  The recording of "He Leadeth Me" and "Come On, Let's Go" in 1959, preceded Bradford's entrance into the world of acting and theatre.  In the early 1960s, he appeared in Black Nativity with Marion Williams.  He served as arranger for Vinnette Carroll's But Never Jam Today in 1969 and wrote the songs for Carroll's Your Arms Too Short to Box with God.  Bradford, 52, died prematurely in 1978, just weeks after suffering a stroke.

*Contract for Mahalia Jackson to Appear on The Ed Sullivan Show Acquired in an eBay auction on January 10, 2005 from Gothic Rose Antiques, Placerville, California, USA For a sum of $1,500, Mahalia Jackson was to appear on CBS's The Ed Sullivan Show at the network's Studio 50 (now the home of David Letterman's The Late Show) in New York on October 16, 1955, according to this standard American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) contract.  The second page includes Jackson's signature, her Social Security Number and an Atlanta telephone number (possibly that of an agent). Interestingly, Jackson did not appear on The Ed Sullivan Show until 1956, but this contract proves the network was interested in having her as a guest one year earlier.          The Soul Stirrers featuring Sam Cooke 45 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on December 14, 2007 from Jeff Coppage, Dundee, Kentucky, USA Side 1:  "Sinner, Run to Jesus"; Side 2:  Were You There? Sam Cooke joined the Soul Stirrers in 1950, replacing R. H. Harris.  Proving to be a very capable replacement, the group enjoyed much success during Cooke's tenure with hits like Lucie Campbell's "Jesus Gave Me Water." Of course, Cooke would leave the group in 1957 to embark on a career in secular music.  His first pop hit was "You Send Me."  During the struggle for civil rights in the 1960s, Cooke recorded the prophetic "A Change is Gonna Come," a socially and politically charged song.  Unfortunately, he did not live to see the commercial success of the song.  Sam Cooke was fatally shot on December 11, 1964 at the Hacienda Motel near the Watts section of Los Angeles.

1960-1969

*Obsequies Martin Luther King Jr. A gift from Sherry Volrath, Christmas 2004 An assassin's bullet claimed the life of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis on April 4, 1968, prompting thousands to converge in Atlanta, his hometown, to pay their last respects.   Obsequies Martin Luther King Jr. is an original program from King's funeral services which were held on April 9, 1968 at Ebenezer Baptist Church and Morehouse College.  Having been folded down the middle, it is conceivable that a gentleman attending one or both of the services might have carried this booklet in the pocket of his jacket or trousers.  The Morehouse College service included the Ebenezer Baptist Church Choir's performance of "Ain't Got Time to Die" and Mahalia Jackson's moving rendition of Thomas A. Dorsey's "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."  With Dr. Ralph Abernathy officiating, tributes by Atlanta mayor Ivan Allen Jr., Robert J. Collier and the Reverends John J. Wright, Joseph E. Lowery and Andrew J. Young preceded the eulogy by Morehouse President Emeritus Dr. Benjamin E. Mays.

*Mahalia Jackson 33 1/3 album, A gift from Sherry Volrath, Christmas 2004 A friend and staunch supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement, Mahalia Jackson thought nothing of writing $20,000 checks to King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).  This album was Jackson's tribute to the slain civil rights leader and Nobel Prize laureate.

1970-1999

Marion Williams 45 rpm record acquired in an eBay auction on November 10, 2007 from Hothouserts, Bennington, Vermont, USA Side 1:  "Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go"; Side 2:  "The Great Speckled Bird" Born in Miami, Marion Williams (1927-1994) was exposed to blues and jazz at a young age, and credited gospel/blues star Rosetta Tharpe as a major influence.  In 1947, Williams joined the Ward Singers in Philadelphia, catapulting the group into superstardom with the recording of Rev. William Herbert Brewster Sr.'s great song,"Surely God Is Able."  Her solo career began in 1965 and, unquestionably, her biggest hit was the Thomas Dorsey-penned "Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go."  She turned heads with an impassioned performance of the song at the 1972 Newport Jazz Festival.  Another career highlight was her role in the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes in which Williams appeared as a gospel singer.  However, the scene is available only in the director's cut.  Tony Heilbut, author of The Gospel Sound:  Good News and Bad Times, once described Williams as "the most lyrical and imaginative singer gospel has produced."             Jessy Dixon Press Kit Acquired in an eBay auction on November 21, 2007 from Mike Demirdjian, Watertown, Massachusetts, USA Promoting the March 1982 release of Satisfied . . . Live, Jessy Dixon's fifteenth solo record, this Light Records press kit stated that the San Antonio native "is a seasoned singer who's performed everything from basic gospel and jazz to rock and R&B, and his personal philosophy holds that each performance is as important as another."  Satisfied . . . Live was recorded live in August 1981 at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California, and features Dixon and the Jessy Dixon Singers backed instrumentally by a seven-piece band.  Danniebelle Hall even makes an appearance as a guest pianist/vocalist. Just ten years earlier, Jessy Dixon had been inivited to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival, due in large part to his Grammy-nominated version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother."  It was at Newport that Paul Simon saw Dixon perform for the first time and subsequently invited him to join his 1972 world tour. In The Gospel Sound:  Good News and Bad Times (New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1971), author Tony Heilbut stated, "Jessy embodies hip.  He's handsome and elegant, 'so fine,' the young girls say, slim, graceful, Afro'd, in every way a contrast to his stout ancestors, Cleveland, Bradford and Joe May.  Like Sam Cooke, Jessy doesn't look his part.  He could easily be a pop singer, and his appearance, dress and musical style all signal a new self-image for gospel singers.  In a word, Jessy is bourgeois."  Where Dixon's good looks, presence, stylishness and musical excellence are concerned, some three decades later , not much has changed . . . except for the Afro!

Photograph by Ron Keith *Fairfield Four Press Kit Acquired in an eBay auction on March 24, 2004 from J. Obrecht, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Very much steeped in old-time tradition and noted for its exceptional a cappella harmonies, the Fairfield Four has been performing in one form or another for many years.  This press photo and media information sheet from Reprise/Warner Brothers Records was used to promote the release of the group's 1997 project I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray.  Featuring guest vocals by Pam Tillis (on "Get Away Jordan") and Elvis Costello (on the Costello/Paul McCartney song, "That Day Is Done"), the acclaimed project netted the group a Grammy. Never heard of the Fairfield Four?  If you watched the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, you saw three members of the group, and heard their poignant interpretation of "Lonesome Valley."  Remember the gravediggers?           *Blind Boys of Alabama Publicity Photograph Acquired in an eBay auction on November 24, 2004 from Jessica Garcia, San Diego, California, USA This publicity shot promoted the 1997 Blind Boys of Alabama release, Holdin' On (Compendia Music).  More recently, the Blind Boys of Alabama have won several Grammy awards for their projects recorded on rockstar Peter Gabriel's United Kingdom-based Real World Records.  There Will Be a Light (Virgin Records), a collaborative recording with Ben Harper, also earned the group a Grammy. Organized in 1939 at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in Talladega, the Blind Boys of Alabama continue to awe audiences throughout North America and Europe, with original members Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter still performing.  The group has appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and CBS's The Late Show with David Letterman. Down in New Orleans (TimeLife Music), the group's January 2008 release, features the Blind Boys of Alabama accompanied by David Torkanowsky (piano), Roland Guerin (bass) and Shannon Powell (drums) as well as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Allen Toussaint and the Hot 8 Brass Band.

Gospel in the 21st Century

Photograph by Juan Pont Lezica and Irene Levy *Jessy Dixon Publicity Photograph Autographed photograph acquired personally from Jessy Dixon at Ocober 30, 2004 Gaither Homecoming Concert at BI-LO Center, Greenville, South Carolina, USA Often referred to as gospel's ambassador, Jessy Dixon has performed in more countries than any other gospel artist.  His distinguished career has spanned decades and has included three Gold albums.  Early on, he toured with pop singer Paul Simon, and even played organ for Mahalia Jackson!  In recent years, Dixon has become a popular figure in Bill and Gloria Gaither's Homecoming series of concerts and recordings. Noted for compositions like "The Wicked Shall Cease From Their Troubling," "God Is Standing By," "Hold On," "You Bring The Sun Out" and the phenomenally successful "I Am Redeemed," an array of artists, including Mahalia Jackson, Cher, Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, James Cleveland and Amy Grant, have recorded his songs.  Dixon has appeared everywhere from The Oprah Winfrey Show to the hallowed stages of London's Royal Albert Hall and New York's Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Apollo Theater.  This image was taken for Dixon's 2003 project, Get Away, Jordan, a Spring House Music release featuring southern gospel fare as well as several old black gospel numbers:  "What Are They Doing in Heaven?" (by Charles A. Tindley), "God Be With You" (by Thomas A. Dorsey) and the title track.  The disc also contained a beautiful rendition of Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water."         *Mahalia Jackson First Day Cover Acquired in an eBay auction on March 9, 2004 from RKA Covers, Lafayette, Indiana, USA First day covers (envelopes where postage stamps have been cancelled on their first day of issue) are popular among stamp collectors.  This first day cover, published by Louisville-based Cachets Limited Edition under license from the Mahalia Jackson Residual Family Corporation, features the United States Postal Service's Mahalia Jackson stamp, and is postmarked July 15, 1998, New Orleans (the city where Jackson was born).

*Lynda Randle Publicity Photograph Photograph acquired personally from Lynda Randle at April 21, 2001 Gaither Homecoming Concert at BI-LO Center, Greenville, South Carolina, USA Probably best known for her soulful recording of "One Day," Lynda Randle has emerged as a versatile artist, recording a string of projects that appeal to a diversified group of fans, including listeners of southern gospel, contemporary Christian and traditional black gospel.  Randle's affiliation with Bill and Gloria Gaither has garnered her devotees from around the globe. Her Gaither-produced albums have included traditional gospel favorites like Charles A. Tindley's  "Leave It There" and "We'll Understand It Better By and By" and Andrae Crouch's contemporary soul gospel numbers "Through It All," "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" and "Soon and Very Soon."  In 2004, Randle released A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, a project containing the gospel classic "Down By the Riverside" and Thomas A. Dorsey's "Search Me, Lord." Randle is a sister to Michael Tait, a vocalist in the platinum-selling Christian rock trio, dc Talk.   Mahalia:  A Gospel Musical Program Attended play with Sherry Volrath at the Theatre in the Square on July 16, 2005 Starring Atlanta native Bernardine Mitchell (as Mahalia Jackson), S. Renee Clark and J. Michael, Mahalia:  A Gospel Musical was held at the Theatre in the Square in Marietta, Georgia from July 6-August 7, 2005.   Receiving excellent reviews in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the play, written by Tom Stolz and directed by Carol Mitchell-leon, highlighted various moments in the life and career of Mahalia Jackson between the years 1927 and 1972.  Mitchell thrilled the audience with her rousing performances of "How I Got Over," "Elijah Rock" and "Move On Up A Little Higher." The Theatre in the Square's presentation of Mahalia:  A Gospel Musical generated Suzi Bass Awards for Bernardine Mitchell (Outstanding Actress) and Carol Mitchell-leon (Outstanding Director) in October 2005.  Just five months earlier, Mitchell had been presented the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actress, Resident Musical as a result of her performance in Mahalia at MetroStage in Alexandria, Virginia.

*Denotes component of Workin' On a Building:  Black Gospel's Journey from the Cotton Field to Modern Mainstream Success, a 2005 Black History Month exhibit (comprised of Greg Freeman's gospel collection) at the Oconee County Public Library in Walhalla, South Carolina.       A frequent patron of the Oconee County Library System, I approached Bob McCall, Walhalla branch manager at the time, in late 2004 regarding the possibility of exhibiting my gospel collection for the upcoming Black History Month.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear Bob recount seeing Al Green and the Blind Boys of Alabama perform at the Biltmore Estate  as he enthusiastically embraced my proposal.  Subsequently, he faxed a notice to three local newspapers.  The Keowee Courier and Westminster News both promoted the exhibit, drawing visitors---young and old, black and white---from throughout the county and surrounding area.

Keowee Courier, February 2, 2005

BIBLIOGRAPHY Boyer, Horace Clarence.  The Golden Age of Gospel, Chicago and Urbana:  University of Illinois Press, 2000. Collins, Ace.  Turn Your Radio On.  Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Zondervan Publishing House, 1999. Harris, Michael W.  The Rise of Gospel Blues:  The Music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey in the Urban Church, New York:  Oxford University Press, 1992. Heilbut, Tony.  The Gospel Sound:  Good News and Bad Times.  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1971. Liverett, David with Spencer Nelon, Judy.  This Is My Story.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005. Miller, Zell.  They Heard Georgia Singing, Macon, Georgia:  Mercer University Press, 1996. Charles Reagan Wilson and William Ferris, editors.  Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Chapel Hill and London:  University of North Carolina Press, 1989.

Robert Santelli, Holly George-Warren and Jim Brown, editors.  American Roots Music, New York:  Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001. Schwerin, Jules.  Got To Tell It:  Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel, New York and Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 1992. Wald, Gayle F.  Shout, Sister, Shout!:  The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Boston:  Beacon Press, 2007. Wyman, Bill with Havers, Richard.  Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey:  A Journey to Music's Heart & Soul, New York:  Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 2001. Zolten, Jerry.  Great God A'Mighty!  The Dixie Hummingbirds:  Celebrating the Rise of Soul Gospel Music, New York and Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2003.

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Author:  Greg Freeman.  Published January 25, 2008.  Copyright Southern Edition