Art and Culture

Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments: Didn't it Rain?

KWBU | By Robert Darden

Published March 19, 2017 at 11:02 AM CDT

The close-harmony groups of the 1940s created a distinctive sound, using their voices to emulate bass guitars, drums, and even trains. You can hear that styling on the track "Didn't it Rain" by the little-known Southern Harmonizers. The song is an upbeat retelling of the story of Noah and the ark.

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Robert Darden

Robert F. Darden is the author of two dozen books, most recently: Nothing But Love in God’s Water, Volume II: Black Sacred Music from Sit-In to Resurrection City (Penn State University Press, 2016); Nothing But Love in God’s Water, Volume I: Black Sacred Music from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement(Penn State University Press, 2014); Jesus Laughed: The Redemptive Power of Humor(Abingdon Press, 2008), Reluctant Prophets and Clueless Disciples: Understanding the Bible by Telling Its Stories(Abingdon Press, 2006); and People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music(Continuum/Bloomsbury, 2004).

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