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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Sweet By and By

The Spiritual 5 released some fine gospel music during their few years together, including this dramatic rendition of “Sweet By and By.”

The Spiritual 5 were formed about 1950 around the sweet, high tenor of Silas Washington and the multi-talented Lee Toussaint, second cousin to New Orleans’ legend Allen Toussaint. By 1955, they were recording for Ernie Young’s Nashboro label, cranking out hit songs under the tutelage of Rebert Harris of the Soul Stirrers, who was one of their biggest supporters.

The Spiritual 5 moved to Don Robey’s Peacock label in 1960, where they released this memorable version of the old spiritual, “Sweet By and By.” The original group broke up shortly thereafter, but another Spiritual 5, made up of the children of some of the original members, still sings and releases gospel music today!

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).