Search - The Soul Stirrers, Heavenly Gospel Singers, Norfolk Jubilee Quratet :: Jubilation 2: More Black Gospel

Solid Gospel Intro

Tom Richards | Vienna Austria | 01/24/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a very solid intro to gospel recorded in the "Golden Age" - 1940's and 1950's. The recording quality is uneven, but the performances are outstanding. Many of gospel's most famous groups are represented - The Soul Stirrers, Majalia Jackson, The Staple Singers and many more. Jackson is represented by "How I Got Over," her biggest hit on Apollo Records before she was signed by Columbia (and her style subdued to suit the mass-market) "Jesus, I'll Never Forget" highlights the incredible harmonizing of the Soul Stirrers, with R.H. Harris as lead vocalist. (Harris, of course, was later replaced by Sam Cooke who would go on to fame as a solo pop and soul artist) If nothing else, buy the disc for the live version of "Walk Around Heaven All Day" by the Caravans - Albertina Walker's voice is absolutely unworldly. Overall, this is a great introduction to a wide variety of groups and styles."

Great Album - but it is Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers

Hank n Tennessee | Virginia, USA | 03/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The reviewer below is correct that this appears to be an excellent album of tremendous performances of Black Gospel from the classic period of Black Gospel, well worth having. All you have to do is listen to the recorded samples for proof of that.



However, the recorded samples also reveal that it is the unmistakeable voice of Sam Cooke singing lead for the Soul Stirrers on "Jesus, I'll Never Forget", and not his role model, R.H. Harris. According to the liner notes on my 30+ year old vinyl copy of "The Gospel Soul of Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers, Vol. I", Specialty SPS 2116, Cooke joined the Soul Stirrers in 1951, and "Forget" was not recorded till March 2, 1954, WITH Cooke singing lead.



R.H. Harris DOES seem to appear on this album - singing lead for the Christland Singers on "Sell Out to the Master". You can see how Cooke patterned himself after Harris, who uses the same little half-yodeled ornamentation on "Sell Out" that Cooke would later use with the Soul Stirrers and on his pop hits like "You send Me". But these are two different voices. Listen for yourself to the samples of "Forget" and "Sell Out" above, and compare them with samples from any Sam Cooke collection. Both the similarities and the differences should be clear.



If reissues like "Jubilation, Vol. 2" had proper liner notes (Compare the awesome Tony Heilbut collections "When Gospel was Gospel" on Shanachie, or the seminal "The Gospel Sound" on Columbia) then confusion like this would be avoided."