Songs of Salvation

We are bless to have such a music aficionado. 😀

Dear Teleologist,

Now that you mention it, how about the other beautiful song by the beauty Martina McBride entitled “Blessed“? (smile.)

Have a Blessed Weekend! (smile.)

Thank you fdocc, but I am afraid I am not much into music. Sad to say, I haven’t heard any of the singers that you’ve introduced here. 😀

So, Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)?

That’s another great song that Alan Jackson composed and was so good that you can find its lyrics even inside The Library of Congress (linked here in the first line of this reference.) In memory of those lost, and to raise our guard and alertness!

Carrie Underwood was singing last Thursday on TV her great song Jesus Take the Wheel. Then, while traveling to Dallas, the next songs resounded on the speakers:

Garth Brooks was singing Fit For A King, while Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton were singing When I Get Where I’m Going.

TAMAR Featuring PRINCE – Beautiful, Loved & Blessed

Univer…

My dear reader from Japan,

Thanks very much for your trackback showing your interest in that Song of Salvation by Tamar & Prince.

The next ‘Song of Salvation’ is a gem, recommended by Chris Lowe (the techno-genius from the British group “Pet Shop Boys“), a “gospel house prototype capable of moving anybody“, he says. Westley posted at Amazon.com that this song is without doubt a favorite track on either PSB 2 disk favourites selection called “Back to Mine“. However, Westley was unable to find much info about the group, but it sounded to him like a typical gospel choir put to a dance beat; he concluded “I find myself listening to “Stand on the Word” again and again”:

Stand On The Word by the Celestial Choir (Joubert Singers) [for a limited time a DJ included this great Song of Salvation here, in mp3]

Another music expert on the Internet commented on it: “The song is a perfect blend of live disco beats and strident gospel vocals, and it is easily one of the finest pieces of music I’ve ever posted here. I’m absolutely floored by this song, and honestly, I think you’d have to be crazy not to love it too.” DJ Johansen Smith also selected that song as one favorite while Tet Matteu transcribed some of its lyrics:

That’s how the good Lord works (repeat),

We must not question the good Lord,
Have faith in God and trust his words,
We don’t don’t know how, we don’t know when…

Current credits for the same song go either to DJ Larry Levan (as Lowe initially thought) or to DJ Tony Humphries, written and arranged by Phyliss Joubert. Co-Produced by George Rodriguez Jr. Mastered By Herb Powers Jr. 1985 US Label: Next Plateau. UK Label: Ten Records Ltd.

However, when I decided to search who really was the original DJ that included this song, I discovered one of the most astounding stories behind these “Songs of Salvation“, next there are some of the excerps from Tim Lawrence’s Blog:

“…ever since Bobby “DJ” Guttadaro, Francis Grasso and David Mancuso started to push Dorothy Morrison’s “Rain” [a rhythmic gospel song] at the turn of the 1970s, gospel had demonstrated its ability to heighten the celebratory mood of the dance floor, and [Walter] Gibbons continued to unearth the occasional treasure, including “Stand On The Word“, which was recorded live in the First Baptist Church in Crown Heights in 1982.”

“‘Stand On The Word’ was Walter’s biggest record at the time,” says [Colin] Gate, who visited the church in order to track down the origins of the song. “The record was recorded in his local church — the Jus Born studios were only a couple of blocks away.”

“Walter played this record after the church pressed up a couple of hundred copies for the congregation.” The song soon became a Garage, Loft and Zanzibar classic, and Tony Humphries went on to remix the record — which was attributed to the Joubert Singers, after Phyllis McKoy Joubert, who penned the song for the Celestial Choir — for Next Plateau.”

[Note: Jus Born was the mini-label of Walter Gibbons, which only produced 3 hit recordings: “Set It Off“, by Steve “Strafe” Standart; “Searchin” by Arts and Crafts, and “Set It Off” again, but this time, Tim Lawrence writes “the idiosyncratic evangelist [Gibbons] teamed up with Barbara Tucker, then an unknown gospel vocalist. Released in 1985 under the moniker Harlequin Four’s, the record was the third (and probably last) issue on Jus Born Records]

So, we can conclude that the very original recorder of that great live song ‘Stand On The Word’ was not Levan, as originally Lowe thought, and was not Humphries, but the great and unique Born-Again, newly Saved Christian DJ, Mr. Walter Gibbons!

The full and long story of Gibbons himself, who went from darkness to light can be read at the Blog of Tim Lawrence, called “Liner Notes”, in his great long posting entitled “Mixed With Love: The Musical World Of Walter Gibbons (Suss’d/Salsoul, 2004)”

Some other songs that Gibbons himself re-mixed after his salvation are the next ones: “Saved By The Grace Of Your Love“,”4 Ever My Beat” by Stetsasonic [one of the earliest HipHop Raps], “Time Out” by the Clark Sisters, “Let No Man Put Asunder“, by First Choice, “Stand By Your Man” by the Robin Hooker Band, “My Love Is Free” and “Ten Percent” both by Double Exposure, his mixes of some of the works of Arthur Russell (Schoolbell/Treehouse, Let’s Go Swimming, and an early edit of Go Bang), “Magic Bird Of Fire” and “It’s Good For The Soul” both by the Salsoul Orchestra (with his own ‘vocal emphasis’), “It’s Better Than A Good Time” by Gladys Knight & The Pips, Catch Me On The Rebound“, by Loleatta Holloway, etc…

“Gibbons amassed a collection of approximately five thousand gospel records, many of which were signed copies purchased directly from church congregations in New York. “He thought gospel was the pure message of God and that something was wrong with you if you didn’t get it,” says Krivit, an occasional customer. “Every time he [Gibbons] opened his mouth he would preach at you…”

“Walter Gibbons might have started to preach the Gospel with even more vigour after discovering he had contracted [may years ago] the Aids virus sometime in the second half of the 1980s… “

Tim Lawrence also wrote about Gibbons:

“Gibbons, was… swapping the sin of sex for the salvation of God… Gibbons told [Stephen] Harvey [from Collusion Magazine’s column “Behind The Groove“] that he was now playing records at his own house parties and added that he took requests, even for records that he considered to be unchristian, because that could help him get into the mindset of his dancers and help reshape their outlook. When one dancer asked him to play “Nasty Girls“, Gibbons put it on, and then segued into “Try God” by the New York Community Choir. “For me, I have to let God play the records,” he told the writer. “I’m just an instrument”… ”

“[Gibbons] gave the Better Days DJ a mix that blended “Law Of The Land” by Undisputed Truth, “Ten Percent” by Double Exposure and a spoken version of the Ten Commandments [read by Gibbons]. “He played it and the crowd roared like I’ve never heard in my life,” Gibbons told Harvey. “Especially after the part where he’s saying ‘thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, thou shall not kill’ — there was such a roar.” Gibbons said he was taken aback. “It was very interesting” [Gibbons commented]…”

“Knowing that his [Gibbons’] corporeal end was near …Gibbons embarked on a mini-tour of Japan, where he played at the Wall (Sapporo) and Yellow (Tokyo) in September 1992. Mixing classics, house and hip-hop with his treasured reel-to-reels, he was received enthusiastically by local DJs and music aficionados… Gibbons returned to Japan in 1993.”

“Eyewitnesses say he was skinny but radiantly happy… At the end of the set [at Yellow] he asked to be taken to Hakone and, when he finally saw Mount Fuji, he kept uttering, “It’s beautiful. It’s beautiful!” He was subsequently whisked to a hot spring where he was able to revitalise his tired body… ”

“Aware that Gibbons regarded himself as an instrument of God, DJ Cosmo, who attended the Renegayde gig [in NY, Gibbons last public performance], wasn’t sure if she had “heard Walter play” or if it was “God on the decks that night.” Either way, Gibbons’ “pure and beautiful musical aura” provided a striking contrast with the freakish mood of the post-Garage club scene. “I was really struck by Walter’s honesty to himself, to his faith and to his audience.” DJ-producer Adam Goldstone, who also went to the party, admired the way Gibbons created an “uplifting, spiritual and positive atmosphere.. I think everyone at the party realised they were sharing in something special“… ”

“Having spent his final weeks living alone in a YMCA, Gibbons died of complications resulting from Aids on 23 September 1994, aged thirty-eight years old. One of his final acts was to donate his record collection to an Aids charity based in San Francisco. Only a small number of people attended his funeral, and his memorial service, a dignified affair held on 11 October at the Church of St. John the Baptist on Thirty-first Street”

I couldn’t find the lyrics for some of the songs, but while I was looking for the Clark Sisters, this information presented itself to me: Missy Elliott also saved space for gospel tracks to be put on her discs. “Higher Ground” and “I’m Movin’ On“, etc. There you find her singing with gospel vocal sensation Yolanda Adams, members of the legendary Clark Sisters, and newcomers Mary Mary. [Missy Elliott declared:] “I had a friend that passed and before she went she always asked me if I would do a gospel record. I wanted to show my appreciation for her always being there for me.” Missy pauses. “But if you listen to all my records, you know I always take time out to give thanks. In this business you’re always going to have to engage in a lot of things you might not want to, but it never takes away from my spirituality. No matter what happens, that will always be there.”

Finally, and In Memoriam for Walter Gibbons, I want to include the recent ‘Song of Salvation’ composed and performed at the Academy Awards by Dolly Parton, the song “Travelin’ Thru“.

And, now that I mentioned them, from “Mary, Mary” I want to recommend their great modern Gospel HipHop song called Shackles. Interpreted by the Clark Sisters, well, all their Gospel songs are great, i.e., from Spielberg’s movie “The Color Purple“, the song “Speak Lord“, also her great songs “Miracle” and “I’m Looking for a Miracle”, while from Yolanda Adams, her great songs “I Believe” and “Gotta Believe”, etc.

Then, from the oldies, the country song “I Saw the Light“, currently a favorite Gospel song, originally composed by Hank Williams Sr. with hundreds of renditions by different singers, being a great interpretation the live performance one by Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, with his amazing piano rendering.

Two more Songs of Salvation are, first the song “Spirit in the Sky” originally composed by Norman Greenbaum and recently performed by junior artist Gareth Gates, The Eagles Band and others, and “Rise Up” by Funky Green Dogs; and finally, “With Arms Wide Open“, by Creed.

I really don’t like that recently, like others, so many Websites that offer Music Lyrics are secretly installing different spy ad-aware programs once you open their pages, so, I deeply recommend you to have an anti-spy software like a Personal Firewall before opening any of those lyrics pages.