REV. EDWARD W. CLAYBORN (The Guitar Evangelist) — Complete Recorded Works 1926-1928 In Chronological Order | DOCD-5155 (1993) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Whereas Blind Joe Taggart was technically the first "guitar evangelist" to cut phonograph records, he only beat Rev. Edward W. Clayborn to the Vocalion recording studio by one month, and on his records, Clayborn was billed as "the Guitar Evangelist". First released in 1994, the Document label's 27-track Clayborn edition demonstrates a much more uniform and strongly focused body of work than Taggart's piecemeal legacy, which is believed to include a small number of worldly blues recordings. The two men sang in a somewhat similar manner, although closer comparisons for Clayborn would be Henry Thomas (on his 1927 "Jonah in the Wilderness") and especially Blind Willie Johnson, although Clayborn applied his slide to the neck of his guitar much more lightly than Johnson. Clayborn's repetitive guitar plucking has been described as "hypnotic," and that word is entirely accurate, for this is an important element in his powerfully transformational art. With the exception of "Death Is Only a Dream," which is a waltz in 3/4 time, his basslines are steady, two-tone alternations which, when listened to in uninterrupted sequence, represent intimate rituals of the most direct and honest sort. Another important parallel exists, and that is with indigenous North American drumming which has more to do with straightforward repetition of tones than with the polyrhythmic traditions of Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. As he imparts moral advice and reassuring spiritual observations, Clayborn's gently insistent voice and incessant ostinato accompaniment are a fascinating combination, and impressionable listeners may get won over for keeps by the man's sincerity and the understated power of his mode of expression. It would be foolish and unfair to evaluate these recordings by entertainment-based standards, and any assessment of their true cultural value needs to stem from a respectful awareness of the spirituality and utterly unpretentious human feelings expressed therein. In 2005, JSP wove Clayborn's works throughout the first half of their four-CD box set Blind Willie Johnson & the Guitar Evangelists. That approach makes for good listening, but in a very real way Document's unflinching presentation of 27 consecutive Clayborn recordings may still be the best way to utterly divest oneself of preconceptions about how vintage African-American sacred music is supposed to sound. For those who are willing to meet Clayborn on his own terms, this disc may be richly savored as a mystic oratorio in 27 movements. arwulf arwulf

 Abridged from this album’s original booklet notes. The Rev. Edward W. Clayborn played an open tuned guitar, a simple and insistent alternating bass line, a melody confidently stated on the treble strings with a bottleneck and homespun, homiletic, lyrics which were the ingredients that combined to produce the success of Vocalion 1082, Your Enemy Cannot Harm You (But Watch Your Best Friend). The record was the culmination of efforts by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company of Chicago (whose prior success was in the business of manufacturing billiards and bowling equipment) to launch their Vocalion Race numerical. Vocalion was competing with the already established Okeh, Columbia, and Paramount Race Catalogues which had achieved sales success with a variety of vaudville singers, vocal quartets, jazz ensembles, down home blues performers, and singing preachers with their congregations. Your Enemy Cannot Harm You and The Gospel Train is Coming helped put Vocalion on the map as a serious contender in the Race market and guaranteed Rev. Edward W. Clayborn‘s future recording dates. By the end of January 1927 he was back in the studio to record five titles which remain unissued; by April that same year he was in Chicago and produced six more titles, including remakes of There’ll Be Glory and the lyrically outstanding Let That Lie Low. It may be expected that listeners seek clues to Clayborn’s personality in his lyrics, as there is little else to base a profile upon. Paul Oliver supplies the tenuous thread that Clayborn shared a session in Chicago with Hound Head Henry and Charles “Cow Cow” Davenport – information consistent with the notion that Clayborn was from the Alabama vicinity, where Davenport had strong ties. Clayborn has been categorised by some as a metaphorical one-trick pony, and this is not entirely unjustified. However, Clayborn’s records were never intended to be listened to en masse, and the simple beauty and unadorned faith of tricks like In Time Of Trouble Jesus Will Never Say Goodbye conceal a depth of religious conviction. DOCD-5155
Tracklist :
1        Your Enemy Cannot Harm You (But Watch Your Best Friend)    2:55
2        The Gospel Train Is Coming    2:47
3        Let That Lie Alone (C-733)    2:36
4        Let That Lie Alone (C-734)    2:37
5        There’ll Be Glory (When We Reach That Other Shore) (C-737)    2:46
6        Death Is Only A Dream    2:54
7        Let Jesus Lead You    2:46
8        Jesus Will Make It All Right    3:02
9        Bye And Bye When The Morning Comes    2:40
10        Jesus Is Sweeter Than Honey In The Comb    3:05
11        With My Saviour I Shall Be    3:03
12        O Lord, I’m In Your Care    2:40
13        Everybody Ought To Treat Their Mother Right    2:38
14        Then We’ll Need That True Religion    2:55
15        You Never Will Know Who Is Your Friend    2:45
16        In Time Of Trouble Jesus Will Never Say Goodbye    3:08
17        A Letter From Father    2:57
18        God’s Riding Through The Land    2:54
19        Men Don’t Forget Your Wives For Your Sweetheart    2:50
20        If My Saviour Holds My Hand I Will Go    3:03
21        Jesus Went On Man’s Bond    2:54
22        I Heard The Angels Sing    2:58
23        I Shall Not Be Moved    2:46
24        The Wrong Way To Celebrate Christmas    2:26
25        This Time Another Year You May Be Gone    2:49
26        I Have A Home In The Sky    2:53
27        Just Beyond The Jordan River    2:42