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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.”

The Sweet Brothers of Vero Beach, Florida, shared The Revealing Book of Life, Vol. 1 album, with another Song Bird Records act, the Cotton Brothers. And the two family groups had a lot in common – sweet sibling harmonies, and a deep soul sensibility. While the Cottons had a long career, the Sweets only released this one split LP, along with a handful of 45s.

Still, they’re frequently anthologized on gospel collections even today. Brothers Bobby, Horace, Zema, Eugene, Louis and cousin Charlie Thomas often toured with the Blind Boys of Alabama and could wreck a church with their impassioned vocals and preaching... which is why their track “I’ll Be Welcomed,” with its slow burn and spoken word intro is such a treat!

I'll Be Welcomed by The Sweet Brothers

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).