Bessie Griffin - Even Me

And one more time this Sunday!

Mother Mahalia was not the only Gospel queen from New Orleans, Bessie Griffin was often referred to as .Mahalia's protegee, but her voice was very different and she was a highly accomplished artist in her own right.

"Bessie Griffin (July 6, 1922 – April 10, 1989) Born Arlette B. Broil in New Orleans, Louisiana, she was the daughter of Enoch Broil and Victoria Walker Broil. Her mother died when she was just five and she was raised by her grandmother, Lucy Narcisse, from whom she learned to sing. Griffin was educated in the Orleans Parish schools graduating from McDonough Number 35 Senior H.S. Her first marriage to Willie Griffin lasted two years and her second to Spencer James Jackson, Sr. produced one son Spencer Jr. She sang in church choirs and a number of gospel singing groups.


In 1951, Mahalia Jackson invited Griffin to sing at Jackson’s anniversary celebration. Two years later Griffin joined the Caravans and traveled with them for a year before settling in Chicago. She also hosted her own radio show “The Queen of the South” in New Orleans. In 1956, Griffin visited and worked in Los Angeles. After performing in the musical, Portraits in Bronze, she moved there.

It was in Los Angeles that Griffin began to take Gospel into the nightclub circuit. This allowed her to contribute to her profession and differentiated her from Jackson. Both singers were from the same hometown. Jackson was Griffin’s mentor, to whom she was often compared but Jackson would never have performed in nightclubs. Some of Griffins noted recording were: The Days Are Passed and Gone, It’s Real, and Soon-ah Will Be Done With the Trouble of the World. She worked concert tours, television, and Broadway and was nominated for a Grammy. Bessie Griffin died on April 10, 1989 in Los Angeles.

Marion Williams - Born To Sing The Gospel

"Marion Williams (August 29, 1927 – July 2, 1994) was an American gospel singer.
Marion Williams was born in Miami, Florida, to a religiously devout mother and musically inclined father. She left school when she was nine years old to help support the family, and worked as a maid, a nurse, and in factories and laundries. She began singing in front of audiences while young. As was common in the area, Williams learned African-American blues and jazz, alongside Caribbean calypso. Poverty caused Williams to leave school at fourteen, working with her mother at a laundry, although she eventually graduated from Pacific Union College in 1987. She was singing at church and on street corners, inspired by a wide range of musicians, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Smith Jubilee Singers. She stuck with gospel in spite of pressure to switch to popular blues tunes or the opera. (she would have been terrifyingly good at either)

Williams was invited to join the Ward Singers when they heard her singing during a visit to a close friend in Philadelphia in 1946. Williams did so in 1947, staying with them for eleven years. Her first recording with the group was "How Far Am I from Canaan" (1948), followed by the breakthrough "Surely God Is Able", which launched Williams and the rest of the group into superstardom. Their concerts were mobbed by frenzied fans.

Dissatisfied with the low pay she was receiving while starring for the group, Williams left the Ward Singers in 1958, followed by most of the rest of the group, to form the Stars of Faith. The Stars of Faith was unable, however, to reproduce the success the Ward Singers had enjoyed, as Williams retreated from the spotlight to give other members of the group more opportunity to star. The group's career recovered, however, in 1961, when it appeared in Black Nativity, an Off-Broadway production, and toured across North America and Europe.

In 1965, Williams began a solo career but soon returned to Miami for her mother's funeral. While there, she felt reinspired to continue her career and began touring college campuses across the country. Her perhaps best-known hit is from this period -- Standing Here Wondering Which Way to Go." wiki

 "Born to Sing the Gospel returns Marion Williams to her home church, Philadelphia's B.M. Oakley Memorial Church of God in Christ; the material is engagingly varied, spanning from the bluesy original "Sometimes I Ring Up Heaven" to the traditional title track to the medley of the classics "Christ Is All" and "Jesus Is All." Though in fine form throughout, Williams hits her peak on "Death in the Morning," her delivery charged with all of the raw power of a field recording." AMG

Gospel Warriors

And now this Sunday's main feature!

This set was compiled by Tony Heilbut, author of the definitive books on the subject. This lp came from Elder Cliff and the careful FLAC rip is, of course, courtesy of your host Deacon KC. 

"Spanning a half century of classic performances, Gospel Warriors assembles 16 tracks from some of the church circuit's most renowned female soloists, among them Marion Williams, Bessie Griffin and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. While each vocalist is clearly a singular talent, listening to their music side by side offers real insight into their common gifts for improvisation; all are in total command of melody, tone and lyric, transcending their material to enjoy an unparalleled sense of creative freedom. An ideal introduction for new gospel listeners, the collection's highlights include Tharpe's "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," Williams' "It's Getting Late in the Evening" and Clara Ward's "Precious Lord."
Jason Ankeny AMG

Chicago Gospel Pioneers

I was always a bit dismayed at the lack of response to my rip and posting of these remarkable and rare lp's. Maybe this time around they shall fare a little better...or not....

Yes my friends it is once again Sunday morning and time for our weekly Gospel program. Today's service is brought to you by Elder Clifford and Deacon KC.

"Chicago, a gospel center for more than 50 years, thanks to the early migration of thousands of Southern blacks who turned to the church for religion, entertainment and emotional expression, has spawned and nurtured a number of great gospel singers.

``Chicago Gospel Pioneers`` features five such artists, all of them from the first generation raised on gospel: Robert Anderson, a soulful, dynamic performer who is credited with training former gospel singers Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls; Delois Barrett Campbell, known for her stellar phrasing, who reached wider audiences through her appearance in the film ``Say Amen, Somebody``; Little Lucy Smith, a singer and organist whose style combines gospel ballads with pop and light opera; Gladys Beamon Gregory, who moonlighted as a nightclub singer in the 1940s but is right at home with Baptist hymns; and Irma Gwynn, possessed of dignified but stirring contralto. All are in their 60s now, but this album, recorded in 1986 in a Chicago studio, is proof that passing years need not dim man`s spiritual vision or God-given talents."