The Soul Stirrers

December 13, 2023 7:36 AM

The Soul Stirrers -- He's Been a Shelter to Me (Paul Foster)
As the ranking comment reads: Paul Foster is a fire breather! Period!

I loves me some old school gospel quartets, whom the Soul Stirrers are first and foremost. They cycled through a number of lead singers in their long existence. The most renowned being the first below -- it was thanks to him that R'nB became to be called Soul Music:

Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers -- Be With Me, Jesus (1955)

See also The Soul Stirrer -- Sam Cooke:
His was a tragic life.

The Soul Stirrers -- I'm a Soldier in the Army of The Lord (Jimmy Outler)

The Soul Stirrers -- Medley: God is Standing By/His Precious Love (James Phelps)

Soul Stirrers -- Looking Back (Jimmie Outler)

Soul Stirrers -- Lord, Remember Me (Eddie Huff)

Soul Stirrers -- Listen to the Angels Sing (Jimmy Outler)

Soul Stirrers -- Oh, What a Meeting (Willie Rodgers)

The Soul Stirrers -- When the Gates Swing Open (Richard Miles)

Blackpast: The Soul Stirrers (1926-1990)

posted by y2karl (9 comments total)

I highly recommend The Great 1955 Shrine Concert. The Soul Stirrers segment is pure FIRE!
posted by bwvol at 8:15 AM on December 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Glorious...
posted by Czjewel at 8:44 AM on December 13, 2023

By all means: The Great 1955 Shrine Concert, even if it's all audio only. What a list of names that has, though -- Dorothy Love Coates, for example:

Dorothy Love Coates -- I'm Just Holding On

Dorothy Love Coates & The Gospel Harmonettes -- (You Can't Hurry God) He's Right on Time
posted by y2karl at 8:57 AM on December 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Hey, in case you missed it - Rejoice and Shout was a great gospel documentary from 2011. Lots of rare footage and whatnot.
posted by coffeecat at 11:47 AM on December 13, 2023

Thank you Karl. You always deliver.
posted by Modest House at 2:37 PM on December 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Thank you for this! The first video is a great lesson in the intensity that can be conveyed with two cameras with one moving steadily closer on the singer.
posted by rongorongo at 2:42 PM on December 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

But it does help when the singer is a force of nature who kicks it up higher and higher as the camera closes in.
posted by y2karl at 3:01 PM on December 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Julius Cheeks was another great singer who started out with the Soul Stirrers and went on to the Sensational Nightingales. Would recommend To the end
posted by rongorongo at 10:18 PM on December 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Beautiful! A favourite of mine is Jesus I’ll Never Forget
posted by Jode at 7:06 AM on December 14, 2023 [1 favorite]