Calvary

From the master, Richard Smallwood, a lovely, topical song, “Calvery”.  Hang on, this is the LIVE version that goes on for 17 minutes including a HUGE praise break/holy dance session at the end.  (You should SEE it…go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kTiJC1izuE)

 

  1. Calvary Richard Smallwood and Vision 17:47

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May The Lord Bless You Real Good

One of the best concerts the Geoff Hicks Inspirational Choir (the forerunner of Joyful Voices of Inspiration) ever had was at 12th Baptist Church in Roxbury, MA.  The choir and the audience were rocking!   Here is a cut from that concert back in 2000, an old James Cleveland song, “May The Lord Bless You Real Good”.

 

  1. May The Lord Bless You Real Good The Geoff Hicks Inspirational Choir 2:53

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By The Grace Of God

From one of James Cleveland’s early albums with the Southern California Community Choir.  This is classic Cleveland all the way.

 

  1. By The Grace of God Rev. James Cleveland & the Southern California Community Choir 2:56

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At Calvary

As we enter Easter Week I thought it only appropriate to post some Easter related songs.  Even if you’re not Christian and the Easter story means nothing to you, you can still appreciate some really great music.  To begin with, an incredible live performance from the Wilmington-Chester Mass Choir from outside Philly.  DO listen to the whole song…the ending will give you chills.

 

  1. At Calvary Wilmington Chester Mass Choir 6:44

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Learning To Lean

Donald Vails is one of the gospel greats.  His choirs and “Choraleers” sang some wonderful music in the 70’s – 90’s.  This is a wonderful song feature a female trio of Millicent Nalley, Claudette Manners and Eleanor Butler.

 

  1. Learning To Lean The Donald Vails Choraleers 3:42

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(From Wikipedia) Donald Vails was born on December 25, 1948 in Atlanta, Georgia as Donald Raymond Vails, Jr., whose parents sent him to a nursery school at Gospel Choral Union, and this instilled in him a love of gospel music and the piano. He was reared in the church in his hometown at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. He was leading a choir by age twelve, and after high school, as an eighteen-year-old relocated to Detroit, Michigan to pursue a degree in engineering at Detroit Institute of Technology. While he was doing this, he formed The Choraleers in 1969. Vails relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1985 in order to attain a Master’s Degree in Music at Howard University. During this time, he became a member of Ebenezer AME Church located in Fort Washington, Maryland, and this caused the churches choir to grow from 40 to 175 participants in the span of a couple months time. He established, Salvation Corporation, during his time in D.C., which was an 80-member interdenominational choir.

He began his recording music career in 1977, with the release of Donald Vails Choraleers with Savoy Records.His sixteen albums made the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart, for five of those releases.[Those releases are the following; He Promised a New Life in 1984 with Savoy Records at No. 32, No. 17 for Yesterday, Today and Forever with Sound of Gospel in 1986, 1987’s Until the Rapture at No. 11 with Sound of Gospel, In Jesus Christ I Have Everything I Need again with Sound of Gospel in 1990 peaking at No. 26, and 1994’s A Sunday Morning Songbook at No. 33 with Savoy Records. They would achieve a gold album certification by the RIAA and a Grammy Award-nomination for their 1990 album, He Decided To Die, with Savoy Records.

Nobody But Jesus

Vanessa Bell Armstrong has one of the more amazing voices in gospel.  Powerful, controlled, always wonderful.  This is one of her signature songs, “Nobody But Jesus”.  Sometimes people publish the short version of the song, but one misses a lot, so here is the full 7 minute version.

 

  1. Nobody But Jesus Vanessa Bell Armstrong 7:03

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I Can Do All Things

One of my favorite songs.  This song was written by Elbertina “Twinkie” Clark, the daughter of Mattie Moss Clark who started the music program for COGIC (Church of God in Christ).  This version is directed by Mattie Moss Clark.

 

  1. I Can Do All Things COGIC International Mass Choir 4:50

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And, if you enjoyed the COGIC version, you’ll LOVE this one from Rev. James Moore.  His version of the song became pretty much “his” song during his long and illustrious career.

  1. I Can Do All Things Rev. James Moore 5:28

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God Has Smile On Me

One of my favorite songs.  This song has been recorded by a whole lot of choirs and groups over the years since Isaiah Jones, Jr. wrote it in 1974.  For many years I thought James Cleveland wrote it since it is considered to be one of his signature songs.  It IS one of his signature songs; he just didn’t write it.  Here is Jefferey LaValley’s New Jerusalem Young Adult Choir singing their rendition of the song.

 

  1. God Has Smiled On Me New Jerusalem Young Adult Choir 5:49

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Do You Know The Way To Jesus

The Allegro Workshop Chorale is an offshoot of the Gospel Music Workshop of Amrerica’s youth program…it’s a “kids” choir”, but there is nothing amateur about this choir.  They are well rehearsed and sound great, but then again, you’d expect nothing less from the GMWA.  This song was recorded in 1980.

 

  1. Do You Know The Way To Jesus The Allegro Workshop Chorale 3:19

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Hold On To God’s Unchanging Hand – Revisited

I’ve posted this old song of the church before, but here are two previously upoosted versions of the song.  The first is from one of the original “Caravans”, Shirley Caesar, and the other is from The Chicago Mass Choir; same song, different treatments, both great in their own right.

 

  1. Hold On To God's Unchanging Hand Shirley Caesar 2:56
  2. Hold to God's Unchanging Hand The Chicago Mass Choir 5:44

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