Traditional Gospel Quartet
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The traditional gospel quartet is the male harmony-group tradition — typically four to six voices with one or two lead singers trading off over the group's tight background harmony, accompanied lightly or a cappella and, from the 1940s, by guitar and rhythm. It ranges from the smooth "jubilee" style to the fervent "hard gospel" of shouting, acrobatic leads, and it prizes blend, dynamic control, falsetto and the dramatic switch-lead. The mood swings from sweet and devotional to fiery and physical. Signature techniques include the switch-lead arrangement, the pumping background "clang," the falsetto lead and call-and-response between leads and group.
History
The gospel quartet grew from the jubilee and barbershop harmony of groups like the Golden Gate Quartet in the 1930s and exploded in the post-war "hard gospel" era. The Soul Stirrers (with R.H. Harris and then Sam Cooke) revolutionized the form with the switch-lead and Cooke's crooning; the Swan Silvertones (Claude Jeter's falsetto), the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Sensational Nightingales, the Fairfield Four and the Blind Boys of Alabama and Mississippi built a golden age on Peacock, Specialty and Nashboro. The Mighty Clouds of Joy modernized quartet gospel toward funk and soul. Quartet showmanship and switch-lead vocals directly birthed doo-wop and soul, and the tradition endures through veteran groups still touring.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Jesus Gave Me Water(1951) — The Soul StirrersSpotifyYouTube
- Mary Don't You Weep(1959) — The Swan SilvertonesSpotifyYouTube
- Christian's Automobile — The Dixie HummingbirdsSpotifyYouTube
- Mighty High(1975) — The Mighty Clouds of JoySpotifyYouTube
- Swing Down Chariot — The Golden Gate QuartetSpotifyYouTube
- Touch the Hem of His Garment(1956) — The Soul StirrersSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Horace Clarence Boyer, How Sweet the Sound: The Golden Age of Gospel (1995)
- Anthony Heilbut, The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times (1997)
- Bil Carpenter, Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia (2005)