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SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - I Came to Preach a Sermon by Rev. Johnny "The Hurricane" Jones

The Rev. Johnny “The Hurricane” Jones preached and sang at Second Mount Olive Baptist Church in Atlanta for nearly 60 years!

For nearly 60 years, the Rev. Johnny “The Hurricane” Jones presided over Second Mount Olive Baptist Church in Atlanta. Born in poverty in rural Alabama, Jones rose to become a beloved figure in Atlanta as a singer, archivist, DJ, musician – and a legendarily powerful preacher.

His services mixed sermons and impromptu gospel chants, stomps and songs, like this one from the live album by the same name, “I Came to Preach a Sermon.”

When Jones died on the evening of November 8, 2015, at the age of 79, he was – as always -- in his beloved church that morning and he preached from his very first sermon ... 60 years earlier.

Rev Johnny Jones - I Came to Preach a Sermon

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 - "I'm Saved" by J.C. White Singers
Some of New York’s finest musicians accompany the J.C. White Singers on the funky, jazzy gospel hit, “I’m Saved.”
SHOUT! Black Gospel Music Moments - 'Mountain Railroad' by The Rev. June Cheeks
The Rev. June Cheeks was one of the greatest shouters and testifiers in the history of gospel music – as his rendition of “Mountain Railroad” will surely prove!
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.

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).