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The Soul Stirrers

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Soul Stirrers are an American gospel group with a career of more than a hundred years. Roy Crain started his first jubilee-style quartet in 1926 in Trinity, Texas. In the early 1930s, in Houston, he joined an existing group, on condition that it took the name Soul Stirrers. The singer R.H. Harris, also from Trinity, soon became the musical leader.

Music and breakthrough

Harris changed the way quartets sang. He used falsetto, a style with roots in African music that was new to the jubilee singing of the time. He also devised the swing lead, in which two singers shared the lead, so that the intensity could rise without losing the four-part harmony. As a result the quartet had five members. The group improvised lyrics, sang in slowed-down fashion and repeated words in the background as rhythmic and emotional support. They widened the repertoire from spirituals to newer gospel songs and gave the individual singers more room.

Influence

At Specialty Records they recorded songs such as By and By and In That Awful Hour. After Harris left in 1950, the nineteen-year-old Sam Cooke became lead singer. With him came Jesus Gave Me Water, a big hit that brought the group fame. When Cooke chose a pop career in 1957, the group's heyday was over. His move shows how gospel pointed the way to soul, R&B and doo-wop. In 1989 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the early influences.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Jesus Gave Me Water and notice how the lead singer is caught by repeating backing voices. Can you hear how the lead builds an emotional tension above the harmony?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists