The end of the year is speeding in our direction and the good thing is that it always brings a couple of free days. I used these to work some more on the website and added loads of scans to the Gotham discography. Other than that I’ve added images for the following LP’s: Gospel Recording Co. 1371, 1380 and 1392, Grand 7701, Nashboro 7012, Peacock 102, Song Bird 226, VOJ 002, Zion 100 and 101. All these albums are available on CD-r and as a download; of course the images can also be seen from the label discography pages, where applicable.

Although this website focuses on the pre-1970 years, exceptions are being made in a few cases. Ruby Hooks’ sole album called “The Devil Can Do Me No Harm” (c. 1979) is such an exception and it has been available as a CD-r (and download) through my old website for a long time. It’s offered on bless-this-soul as well. If you’re interested, check the for sale page.

The album features a fine bluesy gospel style and I have always been charmed by Ruby Hooks’ voice, which is expressive and somewhat melancholic. From the photo on the front cover of the album it seems that she was pretty young when she recorded this album and one may wonder what became of her and her vocal abilities in the years that followed. As no follow-up is known to exist, we can only guess. I hope some day additional information will become available.

Click on the album cover below for more album details (scans, song listing and a song to listen to).

Every now and then an unknown Gospel Recording Co. issue shows up on the internet, mostly on eBay. I recently found this LP by the Young People’s Holy Association District Choir, titled “I Won’t Turn My Back On God”. The album, from c. 1967, seems to be undocumented, so it’s a nice addition to the label’s discography. The choir came from the YPHA (Young People’s Holy Association), which was part of the United Holy Church of America and located in Eastern New York. The back cover sketches the history of the church and the choir; the choir was organized in 1952 by Miss Olive Rochell and Mr. Joseph Chavis.

In the last few days I’ve been busy with images for the Gospel Recording Co. label; I scanned the 45’s I own and collected and worked on the images I had on file. Some were left out as they didn’t meet my quality standards and I still have added images that I hope to replace some day. They are good enough for now. So far I’ve only added a few LP scans for the Gospel Recording Co. label. More scans will follow later as I’m concentrating on adding scans of 45’s and 78’s to the discographies first, although I will occasionally add LP images as well.

I’ve been busy with work and other things, so I spent less time on the website, which is a shame. However, in the passed few days I added several Gospel Corner scans (most came from Per Notini) and I started with the Gospel Recording Co. label.

I’ve been working on the Gospel Corner label in the last week and added as many scans as I could, including scans of the two Gospel Corner LP’s that are in my possession.

The Original Blind Boys of Alabama recorded for the Savoy label from 1959 to 1962, right after their time with Andex (1958) and prior to their Vee-Jay days (c. 1963-65). Most of the Savoy recordings were released on the Gospel label; 11 singles and one LP, “God’s Promise”, from 1962. Another compilation album was released on Savoy (LP 14044, 1961, also check this post).

“God’s Promise” features a painting by the legendary and mysterious Harvey. Many of his paintings found their way to the gospel albums released on Savoy and its subsidiary labels. Check John Glassburner’s Harvey website for more information on Harvey. Most all of Harvey’s album covers are displayed.

The Blind Boys of Alabama, who started out in 1939 (!) and first recorded for Coleman in 1948, are legendary for their Specialty recordings (1952-57) and they remained top of the bill throughout the decades that followed, until this very day. Clarence Fountain (born c. 1927) is the only founding member still around, and he continues to sing with the Blind Boys as health allows.

Click on the album cover to see more images & album details.

Today I’ve added scans of Savoy LP 14044 by the Original Blind Boys of Alabama. The front cover shows a nice photograph of the four men then in the group: (left to right) Johnny Fields, George Scott (guitar), Olice Thomas and Clarence Fountain. Though not shown or credited on the back cover, the Gospel Discography also mentions Jimmy Evans, who should be present on several recordings. All of the songs on this LP, except “When I Lost My Mother”, were previously released as singles on Savoy’s Gospel label. Click on the image to see more images and details.

In the last few days I’ve also been working on the Gospel Corner label. Scans of various 45’s have been added, with quite a few that will follow soon.

Maybe I can find a few others in the files, but for now I have listed all singles scans for Savoy’s Gospel label (Gospel Record Co.). It took me a few weeks as this label had quite some output and except for a few, I have to work on this label’s many LP releases as well. And then to think that I also have labels like Nashboro, Peacock and Savoy on the roster… It’ll keep me busy for a while. Except for the Gospel label a few other scans were added to the Elko, Excello, Federal and Finch discographies, all of which were kindly sent to me by Per Notini.

Today I added several gospel LP’s on Discogs. Amongst them five Bounty LP’s from the 1970’s. I listed them because I have them for sale. They appeared to be the first Bounty LP’s on Discogs, while there are plenty of 45’s listed.

This website features a Bounty (& related) discography but only the 1960’s are covered. Some of these labels, all run by Thomas and Louise Boddie, had much more to offer and for a good overview, I can recommend the Numero release “Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio” (3 CD’s or 5 LP’s). From the Numero website comes the following information.

“From 1958 to 1993, Thomas and Louise Boddie’s industrious Boddie Recording Company issued nearly 300 albums and 45s, recorded 10,000 hours of tape, and remained in operation longer than any other studio, pressing plant, or label group in the history of Cleveland. Long forgotten even by the standards of the chronically overlooked northeastern Ohio music scene, Boddie was a fusion of its owner’s engineering genius and his limited economic means, its DIY recording studio housed in a humble barn, churning night and day to capture the sounds emanating from Cleveland’s east side neighborhoods.” Source: the Numero website (see the links page)

Also located in Cleveland, Ohio was the Bos label; the album “Somebody’s Knocking At Your Door” by the Bernard Upshaw Singers was also added to Discogs.

Click on the images below to visit the album pages on Discogs.