Sunday, March 17, 2019

Sunday morning gospel: The Southern-Aires Gospel Singers--Heaven Is My Home (Westwood Record Co. 1016)






Whenever you see R.E. Winsett, Luther G. Presley, and Albert E. Brumley in the composer credits, and titles like Jesus Is Coming Soon, He Bore It All, and I'll Have a New Life, you know you're in for some country and/or bluegrass gospel.  But you have no way of predicting how country and/or bluegrass it's going to be until you lay the needle down.  In the case of the Southern-Aires Gospel Singers, a group the internet gives me no information about, the sounds are as down home as down home gets.  Anything more down home than this, and... I don't know.  It's impossible to imagine.

And it's impossible to imagine worse sound engineering.  If this material wasn't so fascinating, I wouldn't have bothered with it, because the voices are distorted, with an extremely exaggerated treble response.  Then again, we don't know what the engineer was handed in the way of a master tape--the singers could simply have been too close to the microphones during the taping.  At any rate, combining the channels and cutting the treble made for halfway listenable sound.  For significantly less terrible sound, at least.  I'm guessing early 1970s for the recording date--discogs has a very limited discography for the label (Westwood Record Co.), with no LP dates, right here.

You could easily believe these were recorded in 1928 or so--they have the sound of some of the family gospel quartets recorded during the early electrical era, if in somewhat better fidelity.  By "better fidelity," I mean a wider frequency range, though not much of one, considering.  All I know is that I've been astonished, ever since I thrifted this disc a couple decades ago, that a style of singing this old-fashioned would have survived into the 1970s.  I have a few other examples of stuck-in-place quartet singing, but this may be the example.  And, as for why there are five people pictured for a quartet, I believe the shyly smiling blonde is Bonnie Moore, pianist.  The singers are the older folks.  And if this LP has a handed-out-at-personal-appearances look, I'm sure it's because it was.  We usually call such LPs vanity projects, but these records were the bread and butter of these groups, so I don't think that term really applies.  "Very limited production" comes to mind as a phrase.

"The singers are originally from West Virginia," read the liner notes, and my reply is, No kidding!  These highly enjoyable and wonderfully old-fashioned (but not so skillfully recorded) performances make those of outfits like the Blackwood Bros., not to mention some of the smoother quartets of the 1920s, sound slick and urban by comparison, though, as is often the case with gospel, the biggest difference is in the delivery, not the material or even the actual harmonies.  I think it would be a mistake to categorize these performances as folk in any way, as Appalachian as they sound, because the popular gospel music of the 20th century is hugely a product of song books, the singing school tradition, and highly disciplined singing, regardless of the form in which it reaches us--either as a style that sounds fresh from the hills or, say, one that sounds more RFGH (ready for the Gaither Hour).  It's all from the same pool.  Anyway, to our offering.  Bad sound, but music that makes up for it.




LINK: Heaven Is My Home--Southern-Aires Gospel Singers





Theme
Heaven's Really Gonna Shine (Brumley)
He Bore It All (Baxter, Jr.-Stamps)
I'll Have a New Life (Presley)
Angels Rock Me to Sleep (Ramsey-Easterling)
Gonna Rise up and Shine (Eugene Wright)
Salvation Has Been Brought Down (Brumley)
Heaven Is My Home (Baxter, Jr.-Swilling)
Jesus Is Coming Soon (Winsett)
Hide Me, Rock of Ages (George)
When I Looked Up and He Looked Down (Brumley)
Echoes from the Burning Bush (Foust-Summar)
Shurley (sic), I Will Lord (Brumley)
Just a Little Talk with Jesus (Derricks)

Southern-Aires Gospel Singers--Heaven Is My Home (Westwood Record Co. 1016)

Lee

17 comments:

Scott1669 said...

Perfect to watch the Sunrise on a chilly North Texas morning folding laundry and having this on.

Thank you Lee!!!!!

Zoomer Roberts said...

This is charming! Sometimes you just want to hear real people making real music, without the constraints of a formal recording session. Thank you!

Buster said...

It was recorded in Canton, Ohio, so presumably the members lived in Ohio somewhere, although the singers were "originally from West Virginia."

The 45rpmrecords.com site, which concentrates on Ohio, shows "Southern-Aires" groups producing LPs in Cincinnati in 1964, and Waynesville, OH in 1973 and 1974. There's no way of knowing if any of these are the same group.

http://www.45rpmrecords.com/artists/S.php?pageNum=6&totalRows=1111

The same site shows Westwood as being a Canton label that issued singles from 1967-70.

http://www.45rpmrecords.com/OH/Westwood.php

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Hope everyone enjoys. It's great stuff, despite the unfortunate engineering. Many times, I've examined the grooves on this LP, just to see if maybe it's near-invisible wear that's the culprit, but it doesn't look nearly worn to the point that it would sound like this.

Thanks for the info, Buster. A lot of the bluegrass-y quartets came to Ohio to record, which must mean Ohio was where the companies were. Or maybe there were other reasons they migrated here. Dunno....

A man for whom Christ died said...

Lee,
I also, appreciate your efforts in bringing great albums like this one, to us! It does sound like there was a little editing, especially on (I believe it was) I'm Gonna Rise Up And Shine and I do wonder, what was the Bass singer saying (and repeating) on the intro to Angels Rock Me To Sleep? I'd observe also, that the piano player was strictly a sight-reader and man, what speed! She was the Charlie Monroe of piano playing, or at least, one of 'em LOL! There was a group back home in NC, that had a little more later Southern Gospel style and the lady played piano with the same fervency. On sight reading, my wife is very good at that, but she says she lacks confidence. Several years ago, we used to help out with the music during a Camp Meeting (and for that matter, whenever else I'd preach there) at a church in TN. The choir director would call out a page number, Jess would turn to it, start playing the last line of the chorus and with Brother Larry's (the choir director) confidence, we'd take off from there! Jess plays good all the way 'round, including by ear, which is good for me, 'cause this blind guy cain't read music LOL! Anyhow, enough of my rambling, thanks for the great album. Oh and I believe I asked if you'd post this one in it's entirety several years ago, so thanks for fulfilling a long-ago-forgotten request.

Romans 11:33-36 KJB

Josh
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Unknown said...

This album is my dad, two of my uncles and my cousin.

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Really? That's great--this is one of my all-time favorite gospel LPs. I found it years ago while thrifting, and I've cherished it since. Can you tell me more about them or yourself? No obligation--just if you'd like to. Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

I was only 2 when the group stopped singing so I dont know much.they stopped in 1972. They only recorded this one record. I'll do my best to answer any questions you might have.

Deanna M said...

This is my families album that we were just talking about having the album but not a mp3 version ! If you have any questions please let me know !!!

Deanna M said...

This is my families album that we were just talking about having the album but not a mp3 version ! If you have any questions please let me know !!!

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Thanks, Deanna.

I was going to ask if the group did any other LPs, but you already told me this was their only one! Too bad--I'd have loved to hear more from these talented singers. Is your family still involved in music?

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this with me, Deanna ( my great niece). I'm Bonnie Moore Reed, the pianist. The album was recorded when I was 13 years old...in the late 60's. Woodford Reed would be my father-in-law 6 years later. We dud many more years if singing but never recorded again.

Unknown said...

Oh...ps....when I first started playing for this group they asked if I could read shape notes. I said it didnt matter to me what shape they were, I looked at the line and space they were on!!! So it wasn't sightreading...which, by the way, I also could/can do. And I still play just as fast now as I did then!
Thanks for sharing...it's been a blast from the past for sure!!! -Bonnie Reed

Lee Hartsfeld said...

Bonnie,

My pleasure! It's wonderful to be able to share with one of the original members. I'm a church organist and pianist myself, and your playing gets high marks from me--just the right touch. Accompanying singers is not the easiest thing in the world, as you know. You have to register strongly, yet never overpower the voices. Thanks for commenting and for establishing the recording date. As for shape notes, I've always found them a little bit hard to read, myself, but probably because I'm so used to round notes! Thanks again.

Unknown said...

Angel's rock me to sleep, in the cradle of love, bear me over the deep, to heaven above

Unknown said...

As I remember more about the recording, the group stood around one mic....guess that's why the quality wasn't exactly the best. ��‍♀️ Also, after realizing a "tapping"noise was my "father-in-law" tapping his foot to keep "time", they stood him on a rug. ��

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Bonnie and Deanna, for the comments, stories and memories. Bonnie, with you quoting the lines of the chorus, are you saying, that's what he was saying at the beginning of Anjels Ropck Me To Sleep? LOL on him patting his foot, I totally understand! It's a great album, makes me wanna hunt up the folder, again! Personally curious (as well), are y'all still active in church and if so, where?

Romans 11:33-36 KJB

Josh

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