I grew up in FCD's children church from 1963-73 and during that time also attended many services in the "big church". Around 1964 my late mother bought the vinyl LP "Songs of Deliverance" which includes this cut of "Joybells" For about a year she played the entire LP almost every day. Thus my deep affection for this music has stayed with me ever since. I still have the LP although it is obviously well worn with scratches and skips. In my humble opinion there is no choral singing, call and response singing, solo singing and organ playing (yes that trademark organ playing) of gospel music that can match FCD of the 1960s. It's too bad this LP cannot be reissued or remastered using today's technology. Also I wish there were FCD recordings of the 1940s and 1950s, although the choir did do an LP with Nat King Cole in 1959 with is available on CD. It apparently was recorded during the 1959 convention of the Spiritual Churches of Christ which was held in Los Angeles. By the way the other songs on side one of the Songs of Deliverance LP are: 1-Joy Bells, Ringing In My Soul 2-Christ Won't Fail Us--with soloists Irma Gwynn and Virginia Johnson 3-He Calmed The Ocean 4-It's So Wonderful with soloist Frank Jackson 5-His Love Covers All with soloist Virginia Johnson 6-Come On Children Let's Sing, with operatic sopranos delivering an amazing descant; My voice teacher surmised that the choir at this time probably had more 10 first sopranos--truly amazing for gospel choir Side 2 of the LP 1-Afterwhile It Will All Be Over 2-Oh Lord, You Know with soloist Irma Gwynn 3-I Called on the Lord and Got an Answer with soloist Elizabeth Hall 4-I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me, again with amazing operatic sopranos 5-How I Got Over 6-In That Great Gettin' Up Morning, with soloist Virginia Johnson Sometime in the mid to late 1960s the Young Adult Choir recorded the LP "He's A Mighty God" and the senior choir recorded volume II of Songs of Deliverance. Two notable tracks in the former are the Beatitudes with Lucius Hall narrating and the Lord's Prayer with Ann Parker as soloist. In the latter are cuts of "We've Come a Mighty Long Way with Virginia Johnson and Elizabeth Hall and I surrender All with Irma Gwynn as soloist. Thanks for posting this and the many other FCD recordings.
This is a real testimony and one of the best songs written by Uncle Ralph. This album was recorded very inexpensively by Uncle Ralph, much like Edwin Hawkins' first record, and took off. It was first released by the church, and then Mercury produced the album with this album cover. I am assuming the church's relationship with Nat "King" Cole had something to do with that, but I don't know for sure. The radio broadcasts sounded much better than this, but this album stayed in the hearts of people for months. Joybells and Christ Won't Fail Us were the songs played most often on the radio where I lived. However, as a young boy, too young to know all the real meaning of the song, this song was one of my favorite songs from the album.
Peace & Love, Preachers Daughter.
I grew up in FCD's children church from 1963-73 and during that time also attended many services in the "big church". Around 1964 my late mother bought the vinyl LP "Songs of Deliverance" which includes this cut of "Joybells" For about a year she played the entire LP almost every day. Thus my deep affection for this music has stayed with me ever since. I still have the LP although it is obviously well worn with scratches and skips. In my humble opinion there is no choral singing, call and response singing, solo singing and organ playing (yes that trademark organ playing) of gospel music that can match FCD of the 1960s. It's too bad this LP cannot be reissued or remastered using today's technology. Also I wish there were FCD recordings of the 1940s and 1950s, although the choir did do an LP with Nat King Cole in 1959 with is available on CD. It apparently was recorded during the 1959 convention of the Spiritual Churches of Christ which was held in Los Angeles.
By the way the other songs on side one of the Songs of Deliverance LP are:
1-Joy Bells, Ringing In My Soul
2-Christ Won't Fail Us--with soloists Irma Gwynn and Virginia Johnson
3-He Calmed The Ocean
4-It's So Wonderful with soloist Frank Jackson
5-His Love Covers All with soloist Virginia Johnson
6-Come On Children Let's Sing, with operatic sopranos delivering an amazing descant; My voice teacher surmised that the choir at this time probably had more 10 first sopranos--truly amazing for gospel choir
Side 2 of the LP
1-Afterwhile It Will All Be Over
2-Oh Lord, You Know with soloist Irma Gwynn
3-I Called on the Lord and Got an Answer with soloist Elizabeth Hall
4-I'm So Glad Jesus Lifted Me, again with amazing operatic sopranos
5-How I Got Over
6-In That Great Gettin' Up Morning, with soloist Virginia Johnson
Sometime in the mid to late 1960s the Young Adult Choir recorded the LP "He's A Mighty God" and the senior choir recorded volume II of Songs of Deliverance.
Two notable tracks in the former are the Beatitudes with Lucius Hall narrating and the Lord's Prayer with Ann Parker as soloist. In the latter are cuts of "We've Come a Mighty Long Way with Virginia Johnson and Elizabeth Hall and I surrender All with Irma Gwynn as soloist.
Thanks for posting this and the many other FCD recordings.
This is a real testimony and one of the best songs written by Uncle Ralph. This album was recorded very inexpensively by Uncle Ralph, much like Edwin Hawkins' first record, and took off. It was first released by the church, and then Mercury produced the album with this album cover. I am assuming the church's relationship with Nat "King" Cole had something to do with that, but I don't know for sure. The radio broadcasts sounded much better than this, but this album stayed in the hearts of people for months. Joybells and Christ Won't Fail Us were the songs played most often on the radio where I lived. However, as a young boy, too young to know all the real meaning of the song, this song was one of my favorite songs from the album.