I have been singing Bass since the age of 15, my Grandmother took me to See JD Sumner and the Stamps at the university in Kentucky when I was just a child, but to stand in front of that Great Man and even hear him speak gave me chills, Now I have no way to prove it to any of you but I have sang many a Stamps song where I have been told I sound Just like JD, I take that as an Honor and I still sing today at 54 and Love this music, Raise thou voice unto god and yea shall be heard, I hope he hears my Deepest Love for him. Praise God!!
I had the pleasure of seeing this group in 1968 in Duluth, MN. It was WONDERFUL. You're right, John Hall had a great set of pipes. Wonderful man, too. I bought all of their albums.
Bill has gone to meet his Maker. What a blessing he and his brothers and nephew started in the 1930s. We need more groups to sing this style as the great men and women are passing into glory.
John Hall sang those contra B flats quite easily. His upper register was so beautiful that it was often showcased, but few gospel basses could sing those lows without a microphone like he's doing here.
+k barber he is one of the most incredible gospel basses. Him and Arnold Hyles are some of the very few gospel basses who were truly basso profundos, even oktavists, rather than just fry. i heard arnold hyles go down to G1 in "peace in the valley" at the end.
I got to see these 4 do a reunion concert together back at the Houston Music Hall in 1987. They had former Blackwood pianist, Jackie Marshall play that night. Jackie is little so he comes out with a big pillow to put on the piano bench. They did one song with lyrics written by hand which featured baritone Cecil Blackwood which after the verse he wadded up the paper and through it over his shoulder during the chorus.
Dad liked the Blackwood Brothers. My sister took him to hear them in Arizona years ago. At the Wild Rose I went to a concert that was Billy Dean, and his dummer was son of one the Blackwood Brothers.
Thank you for your information. Now that I have read this, it does match up with what my father told me years ago. He was a follower of the Blackwood Brothers and copied much of his gospel quartet after them. Thank you
At least on my tuning fork, the key they take it in is Eb, and the low bass note at the end of the intro is a Bb1, not an A1. Not that it matters much in terms of range, but Eb and Db sound quite different as keys.
WOW the group after JD left. James Blackwood was wonderful as was all of them I think only big John Hall the bass and bill shaw is still alive. Anyone know were big John is now?
I've met John Hall and James Blackwood as a kid. I spoke to John one time as an adult. When I was a kid, the church we went to had lots of big groups and evangelists come. The Goodmans, Statesmen, Stamps, Blackwood Brothers, Jimmy Swaggart to name a few. One time the Edwin Hawkins Choir sang. Andre Crouch several times.
There was another bass singer that could get almost as low as JD. I met him once but I can't remember his name. Does anybody know who else could sing extremely low?
London Parris was the only bass singer than JD himself considered as his main competition on hitting low notes. The bass in this video is Big John Hall
