SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Selah Jubilee Singers

One of the most popular close harmony jubilee groups – right up there with the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet – were the Selah Jubilee Singers. Led by Thermon Ruth, the Selahs recorded a number of classic 78s in the 1930s and ‘40s – including the first known recordings of classics like “I’ll Fly Away” and “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.”

Ruth, who was a talented arranger and singer, was also the artist who convinced the legendary Apollo Theater in New York to allow gospel artists to perform – the Selah Jubilee Singers did it in 1955... and thus paved the way for one of the most enduring traditions in gospel music – the all-day Sunday gospel revues at the Apollo! Here’s their “Judgment’s Coming” from 1946...

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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