SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Dorothy Love Coates and the Original Harmonettes

One of the true titans of gospel music was Birmingham’s larger-than-life Dorothy Love Coates. Along with the Original Gospel Harmonettes, Coates wrote and sang a host of hits for the Specialty label in the 1950s and ‘60s, beginning with “I’m Sealed” in 1951 and including “Get Away Jordan,” “You Better Run”, the apocalyptic “The Message,” and the classic, “(You Can’t Hurry God) He’s Right on Time.”

But in the close-knit community of singers in gospel music’s golden age, Dot Coates was more than that – she was the unofficial minister to the other artists. She was also a fiery preacher and her songs often include memorable sermonettes. Coates was a leader in the civil rights movement in Birmingham in the 1960s and on more than one occasion was forced to hide from segregationists and Klansmen. And it was this song -- “99 ½ Won’t Do” – that was adopted by the movement and was sung as a call to action in many civil rights actions and cities.

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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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'God Put a Rainbow in the Sky' by Bishop Lawson's Radio Choir

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