Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 5: Spirituals

This album is the fifth in a series of volumes dedicated to " American negro music," showcasing spirituals performed by Dock Reed (1878-1958) and Vera Hall Ward (1902-1964). Reed was a deeply religious man whose repertoire was stayed within spiritual music rather than secular or " sinful" songs. Ward was Reed’s cousin, and both worked in manual labor (Reed in agriculture, Ward in house work). This plays into the elements of typical aspects of the work songs within this genre, such as responsive singing and rhythmic punctuation used to mark labor tasks, such as striking a nail with a hammer. The clear, direct singing on this album serves as documentation of this music rather than focusing on the performance element of the music. Liner notes include an overview of the entire series of Negro Folk Music of Alabama , as well as notes and lyrics specific to this volume.
Track Listing
101
|
I'm Going Home on the Morning Train | Dock Reed | 2:01 | |
102
|
My God Ain't No Lying Man | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 2:13 | |
103
|
Where the Sun Will Never Go Down | Dock Reed | 2:06 | |
104
|
Troubled Lord I'm Troubled | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 1:31 | |
105
|
Look How They Done My lord | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 2:03 | |
106
|
Job Job | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 2:16 | |
107
|
What Month Was Jesus Born In | Vera Hall Ward | 2:10 | |
108
|
Somebody's Talking About Jesus | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 1:31 | |
201
|
Death is Awful | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 1:46 | |
202
|
I'm Climbing Up the Hills of Mt. Zion | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 1:43 | |
203
|
Low Down the Chariot and Let Me Ride | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 2:09 | |
204
|
The Blood Done Signed My Name | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 3:23 | |
205
|
Everybody Talkin' About Heaven Ain't Goin' There | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 2:51 | |
206
|
Noah, Noah | Vera Hall Ward | 1:25 | |
207
|
Plumb the Line | Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward | 1:39 | |
208
|
Travelling Shoes | Vera Hall Ward | 1:43 |