Over the past year, we’ve only been able to hear 52 of the more than 50,000 digitized items in the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program’s Black Gospel Archives. Some are bold and brassy hits by the biggest names in gospel music history. Some are humble self-produced albums by artists who felt compelled to share their music and message ... even if only a handful of people ever heard them.
Olivia Branch Walker is one of those artists. She self-produced two albums in the late 1980s, usually playing all keyboards and singing all of the voices. Let’s end the year with a track from her lone Christmas release, “Jesus, the Baby King” ... it’s really good ... and during this time of year especially, it’s important that all voices be heard!
I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.