MEMPHIS GOSPEL — The Complete Recorded Works 1927-1929 of SISTER MARY NELSON, LONNIE McINTORSH, BESSIE JOHNSON In Chronological Order | DOCD-5072 (1991) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In 1998, Document released a Memphis Gospel collection filled with 24 historic recordings made during the years 1927-1929. The album opens on powerhouse Pentecostal footing with four titles released under the name of Rev. Sister Mary M. Nelson, assisted by John Davis and Clarence Nelson, who may have handled some of the lead preaching, as most of the harsh, shrill delivery suggests maleness while the female voice is mainly heard in a supportive role. After more than ten minutes of intense holy rolling, Lonnie McIntorsh comes across as comparatively mild-mannered, vigorously strumming his guitar while singing directly from the heart. Most of the rest of this album is charged with gutsy, gale-force religious fervor. Tracks 9-14 are credited to Elders McIntorsh & Edwards assisted by Sisters Johnson & Taylor, but anyone familiar with Elder Richard Bryant's Sanctified Singers could easily mistake one for the other, and there may have been substantial cross-pollination between the two groups. Tracks 15-18 are by impassioned evangelist Reverend Johnny Blakey with backing by Bessie Johnson & the Sanctified Singers. In 1995, 14 of Blakey's recordings were reissued by Document on one CD with eight tracks by Rev. M.L. Gibson. Four of his titles are included here and two more may be found on Preachers & Congregations, Vol.1. This is unfortunate as it spreads Blakey's legacy over three loosely related albums rather than making all of his devotional efforts available on one disc. "No Room at the Hotel," "Key to the Kingdom," "One Day," and "The Whole World in His Hand" were sung by Bessie Johnson & the Sanctified Singers, with full-throated vocals, handclapping, and a touch of washboard that suggests links with the Memphis blues, hokum, and jug band scene. The final two tracks, which are a bit gentler and more restrained, feature Bessie Johnson & the Sanctified Singers accompanied by guitarist Will Shade, who was in fact a cardinal member of the world famous Memphis Jug Band. This collection should be regarded as a companion volume to Document's equally amazing anthology Memphis Sanctified Jug Bands 1928-1930. Fully smitten enthusiasts may even wish to spring for the Dust-to-Digital box set Goodbye, Babylon. Because music like this can really grow on you, and a lot of it has resurfaced and been reissued. arwulf arwulf

”Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. Memphis may be better known for the blues or Sun Records but it has been equally important as a centre for black gospel music. The quartet scene with groups like the Spirit of Memphis, the Southern Wonders and Sunset Travelers has been documented in Kip Lornell‘s book, Happy in the Service of the Lord: Afro-American Gospel Quartets in Memphis. Two of the greatest gospel songwriters, Lucie B. Campbell and Rev. W. H. Brewster, both called Memphis their home. Equally important is the fact that Memphis was the place where the most important of all the holiness denominations, the Church of God in Christ, was founded and is still based with annual conventions every fall. It was 1895 when Bishop Charles Mason founded the Church and, in its flock, many of the great gospel singers have flourished from Ernestine Washington to contemporary groups like the Clark Sisters. The sanctified sound of the holiness churches was one that encouraged expressive and irrepressible outpourings of the spirit. The singers were neither afraid to use instruments, nor to let the congregation fully participate by hand clapping, shouts, and joining in. Salvation was participatory and the saints in the pews were there not to let the word wash over them but to have the spirit carry them away. It is the early flowering of the sanctified sound that is represented here in the recordings of Bessie Johnson and Rev. Sister Mary Nelson. The two selections under the name the Memphis Sanctified Singers have a more restrained feeling and feature guitar that may have been by Will Shade of the Memphis Jug Band. This disc is filled out with the complete recorded repertoire of the four selections by Rev. Sister Mary Nelson. DOCD-5072
Tracklist :
1    Rev. Sister Mary M. Nelson–    The Royal Telephone
2    Rev. Sister Mary M. Nelson–    Judgment
3    Rev. Sister Mary M. Nelson–    The Seal Of God
4    Rev. Sister Mary M. Nelson–    Isaiah - LV
5    Lonnie McIntorsh–    Sleep On, Mother, Sleep On
6    Lonnie McIntorsh–    The Lion And The Tribes Of Judah
7    Lonnie McIntorsh–    Arise And Shine
8    Lonnie McIntorsh–    How Much I Owe
9    Elders McIntorsh And Edwards–    What Kind Of Man Jesus Is
10    Elders McIntorsh And Edwards–    Since I Laid My Burden Down
11    Elders McIntorsh And Edwards–    The 1927 Flood
12    Elders McIntorsh And Edwards–    The Latter Rain Is Fall
13    Elders McIntorsh And Edwards–    Take A Stand
14    Elders McIntorsh And Edwards–    Behold! The King Shall Reign
15    Reverend Johnnie Blakey–    King Of Kings
16    Reverend Johnnie Blakey–    Jesus Was Here On Business
17    Reverend Johnnie Blakey–    Warming By The Devil's Fire
18    Reverend Johnnie Blakey–    The Devil Is Loose In The World
19    Bessie Johnson–    No Room At The Hotel
20    Bessie Johnson–    Key To The Kingdom
21    Bessie Johnson–    One Day
22    Bessie Johnson–    The Whole World In His Hand
23    Memphis Sanctified Singers–    The Great Reaping Day
24    Memphis Sanctified Singers–    He Got Better Things For You