ATMuse> The Music of Multicultural America 
 
from "The Memphis African American Sacred Quartet Community." by Kip Lornell, pg. 258-279
In The Music of Multicultural America, 

Edited by Kip Lornell and Anne K. Rasmussen

 

May 3, 1983, Memphis, Tennessee. The Harmonizers. Hershall Mcdonald - lead/tenor, Elijah Ruffin - bass, McClendon Cox - tenor, and Julius Guy - baritone.

"Roll Jordan Roll" is a traditional spiritual that probably dates back to at least the middle of the nineteenth century and remains one of the showcases for harmony singing. This sublime version is based on an arrangement that Elijah Ruffin learned from Gus Miller during the late 1930s, when Miller was at his busiest training quartets in and around Memphis. The Harmonizers, which consists of Hershall Mcdonald (lead/tenor), Elijah Ruffin (bass), McClendon Cox (tenor), and Julius Guy (baritone), reflect the sound of Memphis gospel quartets from the 1930s, and 1940s, before most groups added instrumental accompaniment.

View of 45 rpm disc of the song "Trampin'" by The Harmonizers released by High Water Records in the early 1980s.
This 45 rpm disc is one of several gospel records released by High Water Records in the early 1980s.

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