This morning's Weekend Edition on National Public Radio took listeners to church with a piece about a new collection of classic gospel recordings from the Smithsonian Folkways label. While Virginia's gospel traditions didn't get covered specifically, folklorist Kip Lornell (who I believe worked in Newport News in the 1970s) talked about the importance of the Golden Gate Quartet, a group from right here in Norfolk. Kip, who teaches at George Washington University, agreed that the pumping bass and rhythmic feel of tunes by the a cappella Golden Gates paved a way for doo-wop music and Motown. "There's an undeniable continuum among all of those" he said.
The collection, titled "Classic African American Gospel" will be released Jan. 29. The NPR Web site allows you to listen to four of the album's 24 tracks. Strangely, though, it does not include a track by the Golden Gate Quartet.
No comments:
Post a Comment