Golden Gospel Gals: Selected Sides 1949-1959 (4-CD)

by Various Artists

Three Gospel groups who took their music from Southern churches to the stadiums, clubs and concert halls of the world. The Clara Ward Singers:Gertrude 'Mother' Ward and her singers influenced the careers of Mahalia Jackson, Marion Williams, and Aretha Franklin. The Gertrude Ward Singers were launched in 1934 and they toured as far afield as Buffalo, New York and California. In 1947, the taking aboard of Henrietta Waddy and the great Marion Williams elevated them to superstardom - a status they maintained until they disbanded in 1958.The Caravans: Formed in 1947, The Caravans of Chicago produced more superstar gospellers than any other female group. Among them are Bessie Griffin, Shirley Caesar, Inez Andrews and Albertina Walker. The Caravans shared stanzas among different soloists. Each stanza was broken up into four sections. Each singer took a part. The procedure was called 'swing lead' which they perfected. In December 1953, the Caravans took on the great Bessie Griffin with whom Walker shared lead chores. They kept going into the 1970s. The Davis Sisters:The Davis Sisters were formed in 1945. A year later they made their debut in Maryland. By the early 1950s they were paid a staggering $250 per performance. In New York in October 1953 they appeared on Joe Bostic's Fourth Annual Negro Gospel and Religious Musical Festival (with headliner Mahalia Jackson) at Carnegie Hall, establishing themselves as national stars. They are considered one of the most glorious powerhouse groups in gospel history. They were awesome, said the late J.W. Alexander of the Pilgrim Travelers. They lived in Philadelphia. Ruth, or Baby Sis, the group's contralto lead stood foursquare. She is remembered as 'The Big Maybelle of Gospel Music' and is idolized by such as Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples. Ruth was afraid of nobody and possessed an ironclad religious devotion. She was the most spiritual singer I have ever heard, said Rebert H. Harris.