One of the rarest disks in the mammoth Black Gospel Music Restoration Project’s Black Gospel Archives is a 78 by the otherwise unknown Congregational Church Choir, “I Want to be Ready (to Walk in Jerusalem Jes’ Like Jesus),” with a “B” side of the old spiritual “Steal Away to Jesus.” The label on the fragile disk, which is made of shellac, is so faded that it is barely legible – but it’s clear that this is a Silvertone Record, meaning it was created and sold by the old Sears & Roebuck Company through their catalogs.
Released in 1927, “I Want to be Ready” is the real deal – an authentic accapella jubilee number, probably an adaptation of an old spiritual. The recording itself is full of scratches – which tells me that this particular disk was repeatedly played over and over again by the family or families that dearly loved it!
I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.
