The Mighty Sons of Glory were founded in Viriginia in 1970 by Tommie Ligons, a cousin of the legendary gospel shouter Joe Ligons of the Mighty Clouds of Joy. You can hear his cousin’s raspy, powerful voice when Tommie sings. The rest of the Sons of Glory are related in various ways as well.
In the late 1989s and early ‘90s, they were recorded several funky gospel LPs in the style of the Winans or Commissioned for the AIR and Jewel labels. My favorite is from 1991 – God Says We Can. The album leads off with Tommie’s ferocious five-minute sung sermon “God Can (Never Underestimate),” backed by a killer band – and it’ll make you wonder why the Mighty Sons of Glory didn’t make a bigger impact in gospel music.
I’m Robert Darden … “Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments” is produced by KWBU and the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program at Baylor University Libraries.