This month we are celebrating two artists, Bobby Rush and Robin Trower who have at least two things in common: they are both baptized in the blood of Jesus and in the blues. Their lives, while seemingly disparate is unified by a love for God, a calling from him and a desire to bring as much soulful blues as possible from their servile hands.
Some of you may think, “How can you mix blues and God?” To that question, I immediately point them to black gospel music of the 40s-60s. What may not be known is that the black church has created a perfect mix of loving God and loving the blues in the form of gospel music.
If you have never been exposed to this genre, you are in for the treat of a lifetime. I got exposed to it from an agnostic Jewish friend, who loved it because, “It has the same intensity of free jazz.” He later became a devotee of The Messiah, so he Is now hearing these tunes in heaven.
I personally play these songs EVERY morning before heading to church, so if the worship is weak or the sermon is drab, at least I know I participated in SOMETHING that got me pumped up about God.
Here is a TOP TEN list of artists and their respective favorite song. But you’ll eventually want to get everything by these artists. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, as Rick used to say.
Louis Armstrong: “Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen.” Yes, Satchmo did a whole album of spirituals (Louis and the Good Book) , arranged by no less than Sy Oliver, and it is a one-off homer.
The Dixie Hummingbirds: They’re most famous for backing Paul Simon for “Loves Me Like A Rock,” but the real deal is when they deliver “Bedside Of A Neighbor” and the holy roller “In The Mornin’” Amen!
The Swan Silvertones: “How I Got Over”-Clara Ward debuted it, but the Silvertones turned it into a Pentecostal testimony, with some of the most potent call and response you will ever experience. If you don’t get movin’ on this song, you’re dead!Sister Rosetta Tharpe: “This Train.” Ms. Tharpe also sang swing songs for Lucky Millinder, and her gospel songs occasionally had no less Kenny Clarke on drums. Still , even on her own she was an amazing guitar picker, and she sang with a verve on avalanches like this and “Up Above My Head.”
Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers: “The Last Mile.” The same guy that gave us “You Send Me” and “Twistin’ the Night Away” started out as a doe -eyed devotee, with a powerful and believably earnest rendition of finishing the race well. Classic example of “do as I say, and not as I do.”
Dorothy Love Coates: “Get Away Jordan.” This lady could belt it out, and when sings lyrics about her being laid in the casket with her “tongue glued to the roof of my mouth,” you can’t look away.
The Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama: Oh Lord, Stand By Me.” These disciples are still around, and they’ve been through various incarnations. This early team punched with the potency of street preachers, as on this full-bodied plea to our Savior.
Alex Bradford “Too Close To Heaven.” As I get older, this song gets ever more important to me, as I feel too close to my last day to ever want to mess things up between me and the Lord. A truly deep devotional.
Brother Joe May: “Search Me Lord.” This song gets about as personal as it can get, and even after hundreds of listenings, it still hits you where you live.- Sister Wynona Carr: “The Ball Game.” It was a tossup between this song and “Dragnet for Jesus,” but either way you get a mix of God and either baseball or Joe Friday. The references to Biblical characters taking up positions on the
diamond mix the best parts of American Christianity, and it was used in the Jackie Robinson bio 42 to boot! - BONUS—Mahalia Jackson: “On My Way.” Literally, hundreds of songs by this dynamic lady could have been on this list, but this one with just her accompanied by piano at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival captures everything Mahalia.