SHOUT! BLACK GOSPEL MUSIC MOMENTS - What a Friend We Have in Jesus - Reba Jones

 Big-voiced Reba Jones got her start at a very young age singing with the Shady Grove Free Will Baptist Church in tiny Scronton, South Carolina. She finally made it to New York City in the early ‘60s to join the under-rated Six Wings Gospel Singers. The Six Wings performed through the Northeast, including the Apollo Theater.

When the Six Wings finally disbanded, Jones continued as a solo artist. Her best-known recording is the LP Jesus is the One You Need for a small New York-based label in 1980. It’s a mix of spirituals, old gospel songs and hymns and a few originals – all connected by Reba’s trumpet-like voice. The strongest track is her breathless, double-time rave-up version of the old gospel tune, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

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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