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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Shackleford Singers

Detroit’s The Shackleford Singers bring the gospel funk with their explosive record, “Been to the Water.”

Hailing from the musical hotbed of Detroit in the early 1970s, the Shackleford Singers released three 45s on the tiny R.S. Records label, including the manic “Been to the Water.”

Fifty years later, the premiere reissue label Numero Uno has re-released the Shacklefords on its wonderful Good God! Born Again funk series. “Been to the Water” features the father, Robert, singing lead and playing piano, while his six sons provide the explosive backing vocals. Alas, for some reason, the Shackleford Singers disappear after that, leaving behind an all-too-brief recorded legacy of six songs and some seriously sanctified shouts!

MUSIC: The Shackleford Singers, “Been to the Water,” 45 (October 6, 2024)

The Shackleford Singers - Been to the Water

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

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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).