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Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - "I Can Feel Him" by The Rev. H.B. Crum and His Mighty Golden Keys

The Rev. H.B. Crum and His Mighty Golden Keys, “I Can Feel Him” is an exciting example of gospel’s transition from traditional doo-wop harmonies to a more soulful sound.

We don’t know much about the wonderfully named Rev. H.B. Crum and His Mighty Golden Keys. Their first records begin appearing in the mid-1950s and over the next decade or so they’ll release 45s for the Sharp, World Wide, Regent, Atlantic and Gospel labels – and all are superb examples of the transition between old time gospel doo-wop harmonies and the new hard-charging, hard-shouting gospel style to come.

The Mighty Golden Keys lone LP for the Savoy-distributed Sharp label was released in 1962 and despite classic gospel songs punctuated by Crum’s raspy, emphatic voice, they seem to fade away after that. But Crum and the Keys did leave us some memorable gospel tracks, like this high energy vamp, “I Can Feel Him.”

Rev HB Crum and Golden Keys - I Can Feel Him

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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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).