SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Singing Corinthians

The Singing Corinthians of Los Angeles released three 45s in the late 1960s for Don Robey’s Song Bird label in Houston – a division of his fabulous Peacock line of gospel music. The usual databases are just about devoid of any information on the Corinthians, which is a shame, because they were a hard-singing, hard-charging quartet. Even the names of the singers are apparently lost to us today.

Fortunately, the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program has a copy of their double-sided 45 from 1968, “The Lord Will Provide,” backed with an arrangement of “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen.”

Now I love the Lord Will provide. The unknown lead singer is a raspy voiced gospel shouter of the First Order. In fact, he preaches and testifies for the first half of the song's three minute length.

Nobody knows is an up tempo version of the old spiritual that is usually sung slowly and mournfully, and includes another impassioned vocal as well. The singing Corinthians of Los Angeles may be lost to gospel music history, but they left behind a fine legacy of powerful, soulful music.

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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