SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - "The Virgin Mary Had One Son" by The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers, of course, were heroes of the civil rights movement and creators of top hits like “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself.” But they originally recorded rural folk music for the obscure Riverside label -- including this rare 45, “The Virgin Mary Had One Son.” Roebuck “Pops” Staples probably heard this ancient spiritual from freed former slaves at the turn of the last century growing up in tiny Drew, Mississippi.

The song is dominated by Pops’ spook, tremolo-laden guitar and Mavis and her siblings sing it like a minor key lament, slow and mournful. It hearkens to a much older time and place – and the result is a wonderful elegy to close the tumultuous year of 2022!

MUSIC: Staple Singers, “The Virgin Mary Had One Son,” 45 (December 31, 2023)

I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.

PREVIOUS EPISODES OF SHOUT! BLACK GOSPEL MUSIC MOMENTS

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Anthony Butler and His Singers

Anthony Butler and His Singers recreate the classic sound of the beloved Golden Gate Quartet with their song, “Judgement’s Coming.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Sister Barbara Jones

While unknown today, Sister Barbara Jones’ razor-sharp soprano gives the stompin’ “Be Ready” a timeless quality.

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Drinkard Singers

The Drinkard Singers were one of the first families of gospel music, and whose members included Cissy Houston and Dionne Warwick.

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Mighty Inspirations

The Mighty Inspirations of Nashville mix the sounds of the Winans with soulful R&B on “Miracle Man.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Highway QCs

The Spence Taylor-led Highway QCs transform the old classic “I’ll Fly Away” into a Temptations styled psychedelic soul romp!

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Sammy Lewis

The Rev. “Singing” Sammy Lewis was dubbed the Crown Prince of Gospel for recordings like “Jesus Paid It” for Vee-Jay Records.

Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - Rev. W.M. Anderson and the Jordan River Singers

The obscure Rev. W.M. Anderson and the Jordan River Singers deliver a spirited rendition of the old gospel classic, “Jesus on the Mainline.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Columbus Mann

Columbus Mann and the Gospel Outreach Choir of the Pentecostal COGIC of Inkster, Michigan, Jesus Never Fails LP features the blistering seven-minute vamp, “Blind Old Satan.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Sterling Glass and the Metropolitan Singers of Waterbury

Sterling Glass and the Metropolitan Singers are best known for their dramatic, 5 ½ minute version of the old spiritual, “Mary, Don’t You Weep.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Golden Trumpets

Check out the Golden Trumpets’ array of superb soloists on this winsome mid-tempo jubilee number, “Jesus My Doctor.”