Description
This is an enlightening showcase for her distinctive style of gospel.
Gospel Songbird: The Singles & Albums Collection 1943–59 celebrates the remarkable recording career of Sister Ernestine Washington, one of the most distinctive voices in mid-century American gospel music. Born Ernestine Thomas in Little Rock, Arkansas, she began singing alongside her sanctified singer mother at the age of four and was reportedly a childhood friend of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. After marrying Bishop Frederick Washington in 1934, she became the featured soloist at the churches he founded in New Jersey and later Brooklyn, recording many of her most enduring performances under the auspices of his ministries. Gospel historian Tony Heilbut praised her unique ability to combine sanctified exuberance with the lyrical elegance inspired by Roberta Martin, earning her the affectionate title 'The Songbird Of The East.'
This expansive 46-track, 2-CD anthology gathers the A- and B-sides of her releases on the Regis, Jubilee, Manor, and Groove labels from 1943 through 1954, along with selections from her 1959 Westminster album Gospel Singing In Washington Temple and the Delden release Showers Of Blessings. The collection also includes recordings with The Dixie Hummingbirds and Bunk Johnson's jazz band, illustrating both the breadth of her musical collaborations and the enduring power of her gospel ministry. Although church commitments prevented extensive touring, Washington became a deeply respected and influential performer whose recordings inspired generations of gospel singers.
Presented across two CDs, Gospel Songbird: The Singles & Albums Collection 1943–59 provides the definitive overview of Sister Ernestine Washington's extraordinary recording career, preserving an essential chapter in American gospel history.
Track Listing
Disc 1:- My Record Will Be There
- The Lord Is My Shepherd
- I'm Going Back To Jesus
- Some Through The Water And The Flood
- If I Could Just Make It In
- Savior Don't Pass Me By
- Does Jesus Care
- Does Jesus Care (alt. take)
- The Lord will make a way somehow
- Where could I go but to the Lord
- God's amazing grace
- O Lord, Remember Me
- Never Turn Back No More
- Jesus Prayed For You And I
- The Uncloudy Day
- The Lord Will Make A Way
- I Thank You Lord
- The Wildest Creature (That Ever Lived)
- What Are You Raising Your Children For
- What Could I Do
- God Shall Wipe All Tears Away
- Bound For Canaan Land
- I'm Gonna Live The Life I Sing About
- Prayer Changes Things
- We Will Walk Through The Valley
- Jesus Is All The World To Me
- Each Day (I Grow A Little Bit Nearer)
- Holding On Pt.1
- Holding On Pt. 2
- I Thank You Lord
- Wipe All Tears
- J-E-S-U-S Spells Jesus
- Address By Bishop Washington
- I Trust In God
- I'm Tired And Weary/ Peace In The Valley
- The Lord Is My Shepherd
- Holdin' On
- Jesus Is The One
- Come Ye Disconsolate
- I Know The Lord Will Make A Way
- God Leads His Children Along
- Yes, There's One
- Breathe On Me
- Stand By Me
- I'm His Child
- Pentecostal River
Additional Details
Label: Acrobat
Genre: Gospel
Language: English
Run Time: 141 mins
Region: 0
Release Date: 09/04/26
UPC: 824046361020