This is a delightful compilation that lifts the spirit & sets the feet moving, no matter what one's philosophical or spiritual denomination might be.

This wonderful set of period gospel tracks ranging from the 1920's through the mid-'50's from Document Records has all the proof you'll ever need that gospel was instrumental in the creation of rock & roll, R&B, doo wop, soul, and even rap and hip-hop, as track after track clatters along on explosive rhythms and inventive vocal arrangements. It's also obvious here how much gospel and the blues cross-pollinated each other through the decades, moving in tandem like two sides of the same coin. Check out the energetic trashcan rhythm of Anthony Butler's 'My God Is a Mighty Man' or Rev. Kelsey's free-form rap sermon on 'I'm a Witness for the Lord' to hear the roots of the hip-hop generation. Rev. Robert Ballinger manages to create a kind of rockabilly/jazz hybrid with his version of 'This Train,' while Mary Deloatch's 'The Lord's Gospel Train' is nothing short of bluesy rock & roll. Then there are the amazing vocal simulations of the Wright Brothers Gospel Singers, who literally create the sound of an engine approaching with their voices on 'Gospel Train' (there are a whole lot of communal trains roaring through this collection, a metaphor that links these sides to the era in which they were recorded -- in time cars would become more dominant in songs as the 20th century marched on and away from community and toward increased personal insularity). Other gems here include Elder Charles Beck's jazzy and swinging 'Didn't It Rain' and the great Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey's off-the-cuff vocal on 'If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again.' Mighty Day is a delightful compilation that lifts the spirit and sets the feet moving, no matter what one's philosophical or spiritual denomination might be.

Cast & Crew

Director: 

Track Listing

• Sister Goldia Haynes - I’m Going To Hold On
• Anthony Butler - My God Is A Mighty Man
• Rev. A. Johnson - God Don’t Like It
• Mary Deloatch - The Lord’s Gospel Train
• Golden Gate Quartet - Blind Barnabas
• Sister Ernestine Washington - I’m His Child
• The Wright Brothers Gospel Singers - Gospel Train
• Thomas A. Dorsey - If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again
• Bessemer Sunset Four - Mighty Day
• Anthony Butler - Judgement’s Coming Soon
• Sister O. M. Terrell - I’m Going To That City
• The Blue Chips - Stay On The Right Side Of The Road
• Sister Lottie Peavey - Nobody’s Fault But Mine
• Cornfed Four - Let The Church Roll On
• Rev. Utah Smith - Two Wings
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe - My Journey To The Sky
• Elder Charles Beck - Didn’t It Rain
• Heavenly Gospel Singers - Lead Me To The Rock
• Rev. Lonnie Farris - I’m So Happy And Free, The Lord Saved Me
• The Wright Brothers and Gospel Singers - After A While
• Rev. Kelsey - I’m A Witness For The Lord
• Golden Gate Quartet - My Time Done Come
• Sister Goldia Haynes - The Truth In The Gospel
• Rev. Robert Ballinger - This Train
• Brother Miller & The Milleraires - J-E-S-U-S Spells Jesus

Additional Details

Label: Document Records

Genre: Gospel

Language: English

Run Time: 69 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 05/06/22

UPC: 714298321128