The Soul Stirrers
The Soul Stirrers are an American gospel music group, whose career spans over eighty years. The group was a pioneer in the development of the quartet style of gospel, and a major influence of soul music, doo wop, and motown sound, some of the secular music that owed much to gospel.
The group was formed by Roy Crain, who had launched his first quartet, which sang in a jubilee style, in 1926 in Trinity, Texas. In the early 1930s, after Crain moved to Houston, he joined an existing group on the condition that it change its name to "the Soul Stirrers." The name "Soul Stirrers" yields from the description of one of Roy Crain's earlier quartets as "soul-stirring". Among the members of that group was R. (Rebert) H. Harris, who soon became its musical leader. The Soul Stirrers formed as a Jubilee quartet, transformed their sound, influenced by many hard gospel singers such as Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
Rebert Harris, also from Trinity, Texas, brought several changes to the Soul Stirrers that affected gospel quartet singing generally. He used a falsetto style that had its antecedents in African music, but which was new to the popular jubilee singing style of the time. He pioneered the "swing lead", in which two singers would share the job of leading the song, allowing virtuoso singers to increase the emotional intensity of the song as the lead passed between them without disturbing the four part harmony. That innovation led the Soul Stirrers, while still called a quartet, to acquire five members; later groups would have as many as seven but still consider themselves "quartets", which referred more to their style than their number.
Soul Stirrers, The Filmography
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1998, role: actor , character name: Themselves
The Soul Stirrers
ALBUMS
- Touch the Hem of His Garment: 23 Gospel Gems released: 2007
- Specialty Profiles released: 2006
- The Complete Specialty Recordings released: 2002
- When the Saints Go Marching In released: 1993
- Sam Cooke with The Soul Stirrers released: 1992
- His Earliest Recordings released: 1992
- In the Beginning released: 1989
- The Last Mile Of The Way released:
- Heaven Is My Home released:
- Heaven Is My Home released:
- The Heritage released:
- I'd Trade a Lifetime released:
Touch the Hem of His Garment: 23 Gospel Gems
Released 2007- Peace in the Valley
- Jesus Gave Me Water
- Come, Let Us Go Back to God
- I'm Gonna Build on That Shore
- Until Jesus Calls Me Home
- How Far Am I From Canaan?
- It Won't Be Very Long
- Just Another Day
- Let Me Go Home
- Jesus Paid the Debt
- End of My Journey
- He's My Friend Until the End
- Come and Go to That Land
- Jesus, I'll Never Forget
- Any Day Now
- Nearer to Thee
- Be With Me Jesus
- One More River
- I'm So Glad (Trouble Don't Last Always)
- He's So Wonderful
- Farther Along
- Jesus, Wash Away My Troubles
- Touch the Hem of His Garment
The Complete Specialty Recordings
Released 2002- Come, Let Us Go Back to God
- Peace in the Valley
- I'm Gonna Build on That Shore
- I'm Gonna Build on That Shore
- I'm on the Firing Line
- I'm on the Firing Line
- Joy, Joy to My Soul
- Until Jesus Calls Me Home
- Jesus Done Just What He Said
- Jesus Gave Me Water
- He's My Rock (Wait on Jesus)
- How Far Am I From Canaan?
- Christ Is All
- It Won't Be Very Long
- It Won't Be Very Long (take 2 - alternate)
- It Won't Be Very Long (take 3 - alternate)
- Jesus Will Lead Me to That Promised Land (take 1 - alternate)
- Jesus Will Lead Me to That Promised Land (Incomplete - take 2 - alternate)
- Jesus Will Lead Me to That Promised Land
- Just Another Day
- Let Me Go Home (take 1 - alternate)
- Let Me Go Home
- Jesus Paid the Debt
- Jesus Paid the Debt (take 2 - alternate)
- How Far Am I From Canaan?
- How Far Am I From Canaan? (Incomplete - take 1 - alternate)
- How Far Am I From Canaan? (take 3 - alternate)
- Someday Somewhere
- Someday Somewhere
Sam Cooke with The Soul Stirrers
Released 1992- Peace In The Valley
- It Won't Be Very Long
- How Far Am I From Canaan?
- Just Another Day
- Come And Go To That Land
- Any Day Now
- He'll Make A Way
- Nearer To Thee
- Be With Me Jesus
- One More River
- I'm So Glad (Trouble Don't Last Always)
- He's So Wonderful
- Farther Along
- Touch The Hem Of His Garment
- Jesus, Wash Away My Troubles
- Must Jesus Bear This Cross Alone?
- That's Heaven To Me
- Were You There
- Mean Old World
- Lord Remember Me
- Lovable
- Forever
- I'll Come Running Back To You
- That's All I Need To Know
- I Don't Want To Cry
His Earliest Recordings
Released 1992- Peace in the Valley
- It Won't Be Very Long
- How Far Am I From Cannan
- Just Another Day
- Come and Go to That Land
- Any Day Now
- He'll Make a Way
- Nearer to Thee
- Be With Me Jesus
- One More River
- I'm So Glad (Trouble Don't Last Always)
- Wonderful
- Farther Along
- Touch the Hem of His Garment
- Jesus, Wash Away My Troubles
- Must Jesus Bear This Cross Alone
- That's Heaven to Me
- Were You There
- Mean Old World
- Lord Remember Me
- Lovable
- Forever
- I'll Come Running Back to You
- That's All I Need to Know
- I Don't Want to Cry
In the Beginning
Released 1989- He's My Friend 'til the End
- I'm Gonna Build on That Shore
- Jesus, Wash Away My Troubles
- Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone
- Jesus, I'll Never Forget
- Nearer to Thee
- Any Day Now
- Touch the Hem of His Garment
- One More River
- He's So Wonderful
- Jesus Gave Me Water
- I Don't Want to Cry
- Lovable
- Forever
- I'll Come Running Back to You
- That's All I Need to Know
- Happy in Love
- I Need You Now
- Happy in Love (alternative take)
- That's All I Need to Know (without vocal overdubs)
- I Don't Want to Cry (without vocal overdubs)
- Forever (without vocal overdubs)
- Lovable (without vocal overdubs)
The Last Mile Of The Way
- The Last Mile Of The Way
- Mean Old World
- That's Heaven To Me
- Were you there? (False starts)
- Were You There
- Lord Remember Me
- Pilgrim Of Sorrow
- He's My Guide (Take4)
- He's My Guide (Incomplete)
- He's My Guide (Take 13)
- The last mile of the way (incomplete)
- The Last Mile Of The Way
- Pilgrim Of Sorrow
- All Right Now
- He'll Make A Way
- Jesus, I'll Never Forget
- Come And Go To That Land
- Come and go to this land (alternate)
- Just as I am (incomplete)
- He'll Welcome Me
- He's My Friend Until The End
- Jesus Paid The Debt
- Jesus will lead me to that promised land (incomplete)
- Jesus Will Lead Me To That Promised Land
- It Won't Be Very Long
- How far am I from Canaan? (incomplete)
- How Far Am I From Canaan
- Let Me Go Home
Heaven Is My Home
- Christ Is All
- He's My Rock (Wait on Jesus)
- He's My Rock (Wait on Jesus)
- In a Few More Days
- Golden Bells
- Golden Bells
- Sinner run to Jesus
- Heaven Is My Home
- Heaven Is My Home
- Until Then
- Out on a Hill
- Out on a Hill
- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
- Loved Ones Are Waiting
- The Love of God
- The Love of God
- The Love of God
- When the Gates Swing Open
- The Lord Laid His Hands on Me
- That's All I Need to Know
- My Life Belongs to Him
- There's Not a Friend Like Jesus
- Heaven Is My Home
The Heritage
- Time Waits on No Man
- Come and Go to That Land
- Saviour Don't Leave Me
- I'll Trade a Lifetime
- Lord Remember Me
- Lead Me to Calvary
- Never Leave Me Alone
- Joy to My Soul
- I'm Thankful
- I Love the Lord
- Resting Easy
- We Shall Be Free
- Lead Me Jesus
- The Judgement
- Praying Ground
- Nearer My God to Thee
- Be With Me Jesus
- The Lord Will Make a Way
- He Cares
- He'll Welcome Me
The Last Mile Of The Way
I know the Lord will make a way for me
I know that my lord will from trouble someday set me free
That's why I never will give up the fight
But I trust in him to do whatever is right
For, o, the Lord he told me he would always make a way
Make a way, he'll make a way,
For I am trusting in your word
And my weakness make me strong
But I never will go wrong
no, if you leave me I'll be home
Someday, the Lord will make a way, I know you will
Whenever I'm in trouble, for I'm still trusting in your word
And my weakness makes me strong
But I never will go wrong
no, if you leave me I'll be home
Someday, the Lord will make a way, I know you will
He'll make a way for me