Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'I Call Jesus My Rock' by Willie Webb Singers

At age 14, Willie Webb was asked by gospel legend Roberta Martin to sing and play keyboards with the Roberta Martin Singers, one of the greatest quartets of all time. The group also included Robert Anderson, Norsalus McKissick, and Eugene Smith, in addition to Martin’s extraordinary piano playing, writing and arranging.
        
Webb held his own – and more – and eventually left to form the Willie Webb Singers. They had several hits for the storied Gotham label, including “Every Day and Every Hour.” But Webb was also an innovator, as his unique arrangement of his hit “I Call Jesus My Rock” from 1950 will prove!

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

RECENT EPISODES OF SHOUT! BLACK GOSPEL MUSIC MOMENTS

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'I Belong to the Band, Hallelujah' by The Rev. Gary Davis

The legendary guitarist the Rev. Gary Davis recorded 14 stunning gospel tracks in New York City in 1935, including “I Belong to the Band, Hallelujah.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'I Made a Vow' by The Supreme Voices

The Supreme Voices never quite broke through during the Golden Age of Gospel Music, but with great tracks like “I Made a Vow,” it’s clear they probably should have been stars.

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'I'll be Welcomed' by The Sweet Brothers

The Sweet Brothers of Vero Beach, Florida, deserved wider recognition for their soulful, slow burn gospel songs, including “I’ll Be Welcomed.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - Alright, Alright by The Cotton Brothers

The Cotton Brothers of Macon, Georgia, excelled at a particularly exciting brand of gospel soul, including the rave-up, “Alright, Alright.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'One of These Mornings' by The Rev. J.R. Lockley and His Original Gospel Clefs

The Rev. J.R. Lockley and His Original Gospel Clefs, featuring big-voiced Ann Moncrief, deliver a killer version of the spiritual, “One of These Mornings.”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'You’ve Got to Live the Life' by The Echoes of Life

New York City’s Echoes of Life turn Thomas Dorsey’s beloved “You’ve Got to Live the Life” into a rough and raspy old school gospel shout.

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'You've Got to Move' by Abbysinnia Baptist Church Young People’s Choir

In 1959, the Abbysinnia Baptist Church Young People’s Choir recorded a cheerfully up tempo version of the old spiritual “You’ve Got to Move” for the famed Gotham Record label.

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - "Ol" John (Behold Thy Mother) by The Faithful Wonders

The Faithful Wonders’ funky “Ol’ John (Behold Thy Mother),” first released in 1968, has been re-released multiple times on various gospel and R&B anthologies in recent years.

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'Is There Anything Too Hard for God?' by The Kansas East Sunshine Band Children’s Choir’s

The Kansas East Sunshine Band Children’s Choir’s Young & Gifted Recorded Live! LP features a killer vocal by 9-year-old Crystal Morris on the funky “Is There Anything Too Hard for God?”

SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - "Old Ship of Zion" by Zion Missionary Baptist Church Music Department

From the Zion Sings LP by the venerable Zion Missionary Baptist Church of East Chicago, Indiana, comes this moving and reverent version of the spiritual, “The Old Ship of Zion.”