Archival performance footage and illuminating interviews stand out in this aurally pleasing history of twentieth-century African American gospel quartets that “developed a spirit and a style that shaped much of the popular music that came after.”
The Dixie Hummingbirds, Fairfield Four, Soul Stirrers, Davis Sisters, Heavenly Gospel Singers, Blind Boys of Alabama, Golden Gate Quartet, Gospel Harmonettes, and Mighty Clouds of Joy are just a few of the featured groups in this program that mixes vintage photos, footage, and short dramatizations with interviews from artists including Ira Tucker from the Dixie Hummingbirds, Isaac Freeman from Fairfield Four, Willie Rogers from Soul Stirrers, and Dennis Edwards from the Temptations, among others.
This lively musical journey shows how many quartets grew out of small southern towns where it was difficult for black men to find work and joining a quartet enabled them to make money while barnstorming small towns; the first stop was often a local radio station where the group sang on-air and promoted upcoming concerts, mostly held at churches and schools. Not a lot of money was made but as interest grew, the quartets got record contracts, received national radio airplay, and became widely known.
A music historian tells how all-women ensembles began exceeding the men in popularity so male acapella groups began adding guitar and other instrumentation to their harmonizing. While traveling in the South, musicians were not “immune to the indignities of racism” as recounted in several stories. Gospel music is filled with emotional intensity, but as time went on and music tastes shifted, some artists, such as former religious singer Sam Cooke, put a spin on the soft gospel sound, resulting in Cooke’s chart-topping songs “Cupid” and “You Send Me.”
The program ends with photos of some of the interviewed singers, including Dennis Edwards, who passed away after production, lending a reverential note to this celebratory program that introduces viewers to African American gospel music, tracking how it “cut the path to rock and roll.” Highly Recommended. Editor’s Choice. Aud: C, P.
Included in our list of Best Documentaries 2021.
