BY: TRAVIS B.
This is a blessing, literally. You’re holding a sampler CD
from a 6-disc compilation of spiritual music spanning genres
and years, but mostly located in the early 20th century and
in the folk/traditional style. This was DTD’s first release,
and was compiled by founder Lance Ledbetter, with some
help from esteemed 78 collector Joe Bussard (who is now
estimated to own the largest collection of 78s in the world.)
Ledbetter was at the time a DJ for Georgia State’s student-
run station WRAS, where he’d just inherited an archival folk
program and needed more music for the show. This comp,
and his label, were the fruits of his efforts (end motivational
story.) This sampler can’t possibly do the whole collection
justice, especially since the real thing comes housed in a solid
wood box with pieces of cotton and bible verses related to
each song, but it does pick out a few favorites. “Woke Up
This Morning” is possibly the most earnest, unbridled display
of jubilation ever captured in song. There’s a wide variety
of styles at play here, from sacred harp (4), jug band (5),
bluegrass (7), old-time banjo (11), blues evangelism (12), all
the way to the extremely exotic, even extraterrestrial, sounds
of Texan Washington Phillips’ oddly-stringed Doceola (or
Celestaphone, or Phonoharp, who knows?) Sister O.M.
Terrel’s “The Bible’s Right” is probably the most hard-
hitting heavenly assault in the collection: “The Bible’s right,
somebody wrong, I know you wrong.” She makes you feel
the ultimate fool for believing otherwise. Other favorites
include also-Texas-native Blind Willie Johnson’s “Lord, I
Just Can’t Keep From Crying” and Brother Claude Ely’s
rambunctious “There Ain’t No Grave.” Recommended for
Sunday mornings, obviously, but also worthy of study just
for the way these spiritual songs provide glimpses of larger
folk music traditions.