MUSIC FOR JOY AND PRAISE 1. Peace In The Valley – Ray Price 2. Amazing Grace – Lee Greenwood 3. He Will Do For You What He Has Done For Me – Patsy Cline 4. The Old Rugged Cross – George Jones 5. Church In The Wildwood – The Carter Family 6. Daddy Sang Bass – Carl Perkins 7. Peace Like A River – The Blackwood Brothers 8. The Wonders You Perform – Tammy Wynette 9. Leaning On The Everlasting Arms – Eddy Raven 10. Just As I Am – Holly Dunn ITEM # SBOX 59842 GREAT COUNTRY GOSPEL 1. How Beautiful Heaven Must Be – George Jones 2. Just A Closer Walk With Thee – Patsy Cline & Willie Nelson 3. I Saw The Light – Hank Williams 4. I Was There When It Happened – Johnny Cash 5. Swing Low Sweet Chariot – The Jordanaires 6. He's Got The Whole World In His Hands – Deborah Allen 7. This Little Light Of Mine – Brenda Lee 8. The Old Country Church – The Oak Ridge Boys 9. Where Could I Go (But To The Lord) – Bill Anderson 10. The Lord's Prayer – Ed Bruce SONGS OF FAITH 1. Jesus Loves Me – The Kingsmen Quartet 2. What A Friend We Have In Jesus – The Masters Five 3. Where We’ll Never Grow Old – George Jones 4. Dear God – Patsy Cline 5. Blessed Assurance – Sandra Posey 6. I Shall Not Be Moved – The Jordanaires 7. Victory In Jesus – J.D. Sumner & The Stamps 8. Old Time Religion – Hovie Lister & The Statesmen 9. What Would You Do (If Jesus Came To Your House) – Porter Wagoner 10. When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder – Brenda Lee Country Gospel is a distinctly American form of music. A combination of two American traditions – Country and Gospel – Country Gospel can trace its origins to the American South and the fusion of cowboy music, mountain music and the music that was a part of the Southern plantation slave population. Dealing with the plight of man on earth and the relationship between him and god, Country Gospel is deeply steeped in the Christian Tradition. However, due to its enormous popularity, it has attracted plenty of mainstream fans, perhaps due to the fact that there are many secular artists who also record and perform ‘Gospel’ material. Specifically, many legendary Country artists have recorded Gospel albums, most of which contain their own interpretations of classic Gospel songs. Whatever its form of expression, there is no denying the fact that the beauty of the music has ensured that there is an immense amount of talent in the Country Gospel genre. Let’s take a closer look at some of the fantastic artists who have helped sustain and advance this music over the years. George Jones is, quite simply, a Country legend. Not only has he had more songs on the Country charts than any other artist, but he has been referred to by none other than Frank Sinatra as “the second-best white singer” (next to old Blue Eyes himself, of course!) On top of this compliment from the late great Sinatra, Jones has also received this high praise from fellow Country luminary Johnny Cash, “When people ask me who my favorite Country singer is, I say 'You mean besides George Jones?’” With an instantly recognizable voice and a career that spanned decades, George Jones is a musical sensation. On this collection, Jones treats us to two classic Country Gospel numbers, “How Beautiful Heaven Must Be” and “Where We’ll Never Grow Old.” Both Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson can be considered Country royalty. Cline, despite her tragic death at the early age of 30, left a deep and lasting mark on popular music. Her legacy is so great that in 2001, 38 years after her untimely death, she was voted #1 of 40 Greatest Women of Country Music by artists and members of the Country music industry. Willie Nelson is also a towering giant in the music industry, winning nine Grammies and countless American Music and Country Music Awards over the course of his career. Here the Christian hymn “Just A Closer Walk With Thee” is covered by Patsy Cline, with overdubbed vocals by Nelson rendering the track an exquisite duet. Two other reverential songs are covered here by Cline: both “He Will Do For You What He Has Done For Me” and “Dear God” are lifted to new heights by Cline’s incomparable voice. Perhaps one of the most famous musical entertainers in the world, Johnny Cash, “The Man in Black,” is a musical institution. His trademark introduction, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash” is perhaps one of the most famous phrases in popular music. Having enjoyed a musical career that spanned almost five decades with record sales exceeding 50 million albums, Cash is an undeniable giant in the world of music. A multi-Grammy winning artist who has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cash was recently the subject of the Academy Award Winning biopic, Walk The Line. Here, Cash plays the highly confessional and devotional song “I Was There When It Happened” which was featured in that film. Although The Jordanaires are perhaps best known as a stellar back-up band – having backed up some of the most prominent acts of the Twentieth Century – they are also a successful band in their own right, winning a Grammy Award and receiving inductions into both the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. But it was through their collaboration with some of the most exciting and seminal artists of their time that brought them their biggest fame. Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, George Jones, Patsy Cline, Kenny Rogers, even The Beatles’ Ringo Starr! On this collection they do a beautiful rendition of the African-American Spiritual, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.” Written in the late 1800s by 2 a former slave, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” is an evocative song inspired by the story of the Prophet Elijah and his ascension to heaven in a chariot after crossing the river Jordan. The Jordanaires can also be heard here doing their version of “I Shall Not Be Moved.” The Oak Ridge Boys have played many styles of music over the years, but given that their career spans back to 1945, they have had plenty of time to explore and experiment. Although they have made forays into the domain of Pop music, their legendary status as performers and recording artists lies close to Country and Gospel roots. Their first charting single was released in 1973 (performed with Johnny Cash and The Carter Family) and paved the way for dozens of singles to come, including multiple #1 singles. Here they deliver a wonderful version of the well-loved old traditional, “The Old Country Church.” It’s difficult to find a group more legendary than The Carter Family. Beginning their career in 1927 and playing until the mid-1940s, they are, in many ways, Country music’s elder Statesmen, having left a legacy that has included almost every form of roots music there is, from Southern Gospel to Bluegrass. The family became even more entrenched in the history of Country music when second-generation Carter family member, June Carter, who had earned considerable fame performing with her mother and sisters in the group, “Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters,” ended up marrying Johnny Cash. Johnny and June’s son, John Carter Cash, went on to become a highly successful Country music producer, and a further extension of the Carter musical dynasty. Here, The Carter Family covers the classic and charming, “Church In The Wildwood,” a song about a small church built in a beautiful valley near Bradford, Iowa. Tammy Wynette is often referred to as “The First Lady of Country Music.” This nickname is certainly warranted – her storied career and remarkable album and single sales mark, make her one of the most successful female artists in the history of the Country genre. At one time married to George Jones, Wynette had a powerful presence in the Country music industry. Her contributions to the genre, with other female artists of the time, such as Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn, helped to re-define the roll of women artists involved in Country music. Here she performs the deeply spiritual “The Wonders You Perform,” an inspirational song wherein she sings about her awe of, and reverence for, God. Brenda Lee may be small in physical stature, but her voice more than compensates for her small size. In fact, because of the discrepancy between her size and her remarkable voice, she earned the nickname, “Little Miss Dynamite” after recording the song “Dynamite” in 1957. Fluent in both Country and Rock ‘n’ Roll, Lee has recorded dozens and dozens of Top Twenty hits over the course of her career. Her facility for playing multiple types of music led to her gaining membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Here she performs the African-American Spiritual, “This Little Light Of Mine,” a song that took on new meaning in the 1950s and 1960s when it became a Civil Rights anthem. She also performs “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” a song dating back to the nineteenth century that enthusiastically anticipates the shuffling off of this mortal coil for the respite that is offered in Heaven. Whether or not Country Gospel is heard around a campfire, in a church, or, as it is presented here, as sung by some of the world’s premier musical artists, there is no denying its ability to sooth and delight the senses. With its combination of the reverential and worshipful strains of harmony-heavy gospel and the down-home elements of Country music, Country Gospel is a singular and unique musical treat. While it is always a pleasure to hear these fine songs, they perhaps become even sweeter when they are covered by artists of such high caliber as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Patsy Cline and the other legendary artists presented on this box set. Their efforts do these songs and this wonderful tradition proud. 3 2007 DIRECT SOURCE SPECIAL PRODUCTS INC. Original American Classics is a registered trademark of Direct Source Special Products Inc. Photos of George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Brenda Lee Courtesy of Showtime Music Archives (Toronto) Photo of Johnny Cash Courtesy of Everett Collection