Songwriter/pianist/arranger James Herndon was invited to join the famed Caravan Singers in 1959 by his childhood friend Shirley Caesar. With Albertina Walker’s Caravans, he had a pivotal role in some of their biggest songs, including “Mary, Don’t You Weep” and “I Won’t Be Back No More.”
Herndon left the Caravans in 1967 to work with Dorothy Norwood, Motown’s Kim Weston and even Aretha Franklin before forming his own group, the Herndon Singers, which recorded a series of first-rate gospel albums for Savoy and – later – Light Records. One of his best tracks with the Herndon Singers is this joyful remake of a Caravan Singers hit, “No Coward Soldier” from 1968.
MUSIC: (2415) James Herndon and the Herdon Singers, James Herndon and the Herdon Singers LP, “No Courage Soldier,” Side 1, Track 1 (April 14, 2024)
I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.