Page 54 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2024 Digital Edition

Check out classics like “Mary Don’t You Weep” by the
Swan Silvertones. In the last verse of the song, the singer
shouts, “I’ll be your bridge over deep water if you trust in
my name.” This version would later provide the title for the
famous Simon and Garfunkel hit. Listen to the Staple Singers
at their absolute peak singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
Most of these songs feature either no instruments or minimal
accompaniment, and you’ll find yourself stunned at how the
music is so perfect you don’t even notice it. “Jesus Gave Me
Water” by Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers is simply one of
the most astounding songs ever recorded.
Unfortunately, some of this music would be forgotten or
just plain stolen. A perfect example is the title track “Swingin’
on the Golden Gate” by the Blind Boys of Alabama, which
reappeared in 1959 as “Wake Me, Shake Me” by The
Coasters. This is powerful music; the quartet style of worship
actually first appears in the late ‘30s – its leading figure was
a former blues singer (!) named Thomas Dorsey. Dorsey had
a religious conversion due to great personal tragedy. On
the edge of total collapse, he wrote “Precious Lord Take My
Hand,” and went on to become the guiding figure of modern
gospel till his death at the age of 92 in 1993. He loved to tell
the world that gospel was “God’s good news.” The songs of
this collection are some of that good news.
Although these country, R&B and gospel collections and artists
may seem unrelated, they are indeed first cousins of the blues.
All marketed to Southern working-class buyers, they influenced
each other and provided a way out of the cotton fields and textile
factories for at least a few lucky Black and white teenagers. They
all had their roots in the blues, in both form and content. The
repeated first line of each verse and the twelve-bar music pattern
that comes from the blues, show up on almost every one of these
offerings. And finally, this music, both sacred and secular, was
made to heal suffering, get toes tappin’, pack a dance floor and
have a good hearty laugh at the human condition. It helped
people get through hard times over 70 years ago. Enjoy these
first cousins, and you’ll find that it still has that power today.
Rev. Billy C. Wirtz lives in Ocala, FL, with his wife Linda, 12 cats
and a horse. Get in touch at revbilly88@aol.com or facebook.
com/revbilly88. Check him out on Patreon at patreon.com/
revbillycwirtz to become an official member of Rev. Billy’s First
House of Polyester Worship
Online Congregation. Member
benefits include Rev. Billy’s
monthly bulletin “Missionary
Position,” hand-signed prayer
rugs, advance chapters of his
books, radio shows emailed
directly, Patreon-only online
concerts, a personal concert at
your house and more!

Author Reverend Billy C. Wirtz.
Photo by Dave Schlenker

52 Blues Festival Guide 2024