By Bob Marovich
"Sallie Martin, the Mother of Gospel Music, paved the way for those who paved the way. A no-nonsense singer, group leader, choir director, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Martin helped Thomas A. Dorsey sell his catalog of songs before going into business with Kenneth Morris in 1940 to form the Martin & Morris Music Studio.
It is in 1940, when Sallie was a member of the Martin & Morris Singers, where Just A Little Talk With Jesus, Gospel Friend’s superb twelve-year survey of Sallie Martin’s early classic recordings, begins. The 25 tracks represent the first commercially available compilation of most of Sallie’s earliest recordings.
The CD follows Sallie and her adopted daughter, Cora Brewer Martin, from their sweet singing days as part of the Sallie Martin Gospel Singers and their collaboration with the famous Echoes of Eden Choir from St. Paul Baptist Church of Los Angeles, to their duets for Capitol and Specialty Records. As such, the compilation is not only a joy to listen to, it is a mini gospel history lesson.
Although Sallie’s voice was not the most melodious pipe in the organ, she could sell a song with her honest-to-God delivery. Cora, on the other hand, was a quite gifted vocalist who so impressed Art Rupe of Specialty that he wanted her to go pop, just like Sister Wynona Carr. Cora refused, and that ended her association with Specialty Records.
There are many rare selections on the CD, including a mid-40s Martin & Morris disc that features the lively piano of Melva Williams and one of the handful of sides Sallie made for Aladdin Records with her Singers of Joy. The title track comes from a disc the group waxed with J. Earle Hines and the Goodwill Singers in 1948 for the predominantly white gospel Sacred label. All of the tracks were re-mastered from the original vinyl recordings. As usual, Per Notini and Jonas Bernholm of Gospel Friend spit shine them so the sound quality is clear."
