Never Alone
Over the years, the sound of the male gospel quartet has had an influence on every genre of music to date. The sound that filled (still fills) African-American Baptist churches was inspired by the call and response music of slaves who worked on the plantations in America. Songs of hope, dreams of freedom and the love of God were the main ingredients for most of these songs. Often, there were messages within these songs that helped many slaves escape to freedom. It was a form of communication to prevent the “slave master” from understanding conversations between slaves.
In the late 1800s, many of these groups entertained the masses and the genre was well established. Through the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s groups such as “The Golden Gate Quartet”, “The Five Blind Boys” (of Alabama and Mississippi), “The Highway Q.C.s”, “The Soul Stirrers”, “The Staple Singers” and “The Impressions” carried on the tradition as well as set a standard against which countless others are measured to this date. In the 50s, 60s & 70s, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Johnnie Taylor, Lou Rawls, Bobby Womack, Billy Preston, Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway & many others continued the tradition to incorporate quartet style into secular music. This is why we have groups like “The Temptations”, “The Four Tops”, “The Jackson Five”, “The Rance Allen Group”, “Take Six”, “Boyz II Men” & countless others.
The influence of the gospel quartet has survived for centuries and will remain right here until the lights go out on this planet. Believe that!
Other Albums By James Simpson
View All Albums