Product Details
The Earliest Negro Vocal Quartets (1894-1928)

The Earliest Negro Vocal Quartets (1894-1928)
Various Artists

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Track Listing

  1. Keep Movin' - Standard Quartette
  2. Down on the Old Camp Ground - Dinwiddie Colored Quartet
  3. Poor Mourner - Dinwiddie Colored Quartet
  4. Steal Away - Dinwiddie Colored Quartet
  5. Gabriel's Trumpet - Dinwiddie Colored Quartet
  6. We'll Anchor Bye and Bye - Dinwiddie Colored Quartet
  7. Camp Meeting Jubilee
  8. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
  9. Shout All over God's Heaven
  10. Bonnie Blue Flag - Polk Miller
  11. Laughing Song - Polk Miller
  12. What a Time - Polk Miller
  13. Watermelon Party - Polk Miller
  14. Rise and Shine - Polk Miller
  15. Old Time Religion - Polk Miller
  16. Jerusalem Mornin' - Polk Miller
  17. Oh What He's Done for Me
  18. Watermelon Party
  19. Bohunkus and Josephus
  20. Oysters and Wine at 2 A.M.
  21. Pussy Cat Rag
  22. When de Corn Pone's Hot
  23. No Hiding Place

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #400192 in Music
  • Released on: 2000-09-08
  • Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

A priceless slice of history5
These are recordings of enormous historical significance, which, in retail language, means "low sales" (or whatever the retail-correct term is). Not only are these recordings EXTREMELY OLD, they SOUND extremely old. The attentive title-browser no doubt sees "1894-1928" in parantheses and says to himself, "Hey, these are OLD" or "They had recordings back THEN?"

So, why wade through the scratch or put up with a "high" end in the 8,000 khz range, if not lower? Because the music is marvelous. Want to hear the roots of Leadbelly, proto-"Saturday Night Fish Fry" novelty material, and some of the earliest recorded Black gospel? It's here, and most of it has been more than adequately restored; in fact, some of the cylinder recordings boast remarkable fidelity in view of their age and scarcity.
The performances are uniformly superb, with those of the Dimwiddie Colored Quartet a particular standout. Even through the hiss and seashell-interior acoustics of 1902, the Dimwiddie singers are astonishingly smooth, even while presenting the full range of gospel emotion and tempi. On this CD, we hear Black quartet singing evolve smoothly and confidently toward the more familiar styles of later groups like The Ink Spots and The Mills Brothers. Musically and historically, this is a priceless document. In other words, "low sales." Too bad!