A recent music-fueled trip to Memphis reinforced my belief that it is the most soulful city in America. At the heart of Memphis are its great studios, where all the great artists with Stax, Sun, Hi, and other labels recorded. Willie Mitchell’s work at Hi Records with Al Green is incomparable of course, but Mitchell also recorded O.V. Wright, Ann Peebles, and – in the gospel realm – the Townsend Sisters.
The Rev. A.L. Townsend and his wife Victoria had 14 children, including nine girls. Six of those girls – Shirley, Shelia, Marie, Felecia, Rosetta and Virginia – comprised the Townsend Sisters. Their lone LP for the otherwise unknown Nasha label was recorded in Mitchell’s studio in Memphis and Willie himself handled the production. The result, I Am a Witness, is a stone-cold gospel powerhouse... as their recording of “You Can’t Hurry God” proves from the first notes!
I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.
