Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Gwen Carter

Prepare to be moved by Gwen Curtis’ impassioned vocals on this titanic version of John Stallings’ “Learning to Lean.”

In the early 1970s, the dynamic husband and wife team of Tony and Gwen Curtis founded TCS Records in their hometown of Philadelphia. As you’ll hear, Gwen had a stunning gospel voice and was a fine instrumentalist, too. The couple released more than a dozen LPs and 45s – and all are worth checking out.

Alas, the Gwen and Tony never found much success in the gospel music world, despite stellar songs and production. Perhaps, they were just too far ahead of their time. Their “You Can’t Make Me Doubt Him” was the first gospel song I can remember with a disco beat. And “No Never” was as funky as anything on the R&B charts. But they really shined when they let Gwen tear up a slow and emotional gospel blues number like this one, “Learning to Lean.”

Gwen Carter - Learning to Lean

I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Blend Wright Trio
The Blend Wright Trio were a poppy, upbeat gospel group led by the multi-talented Eleanor Wright, who recorded for Savoy in the 1960s.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Bible Way Church of God
The Bible Way Church of God Choir’s “What Do You Say About Jesus?” features the church’s longtime pastor, Little Abraham Swanson.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Melody Kings
The LP Believe in Me by the Melody Kings features a rousing version of Lee Wallace’s gospel rave up, “I Pray.”
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - The Kindly Sheperds
The Kindly Shepherds’ “Lend Me Your Hand,” produced by Monk Higgins, is much coveted by Northern Soul vinyl collectors.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Willie Banks
Willie Banks’ titanic sermon song “Things I Can’t Change” features one of the most powerful vocal performances in gospel music.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Heavenly Stars of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“Leaning on the Lord” is an incredibly infectious gospel rave up by the otherwise unknown Heavenly Stars of Milwaukee.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Bishop John D. Bright Sr and the Choirs of the St. James A.M.E.
The St. James A.M.E. Youth Choir dedicates “I Don’t Know Why He Loves Me” to their beloved pastor, Bishop John D. Bright Sr.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Rev. Oris Mays
The Rev. Oris Mays was one of the true originals of the incomparable gospel music scene in Memphis.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Selah Jubilee Singers
One of the earliest jubilee groups to record, the Selah Jubilee Singers’ close-harmony “Judgment’s Coming” is one of their best-loved numbers.
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Mary Brown and the United Echoes
The lone known recording by Mary Brown and the United Echoes is a spirit-filled romp titled “The Judgment.”

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).