I just loved this man. When in high school 1958-60 I met him at the summer camp in Stockton, Ca. Called then the "College of the Pacific" now UOP, it was a 5 week music camp where we would practice Mon-Sat and sing a concert on Sunday each of the 5 weeks + plus put on a full Opera at the conclusion of the camp. He was a guest choir leader at the camp. He loved high school kids. We had curfews at night and had to be in our room at a certain time, but he would sneak in and tell us stories and sing and teach us little ditties that he wrote. I told him I wanted to be a white kid in his choir - he would laugh and say "Come on down and join". I have such fond memories of this wonderful man.
This is a wonderful video. He taught at my high school in 1969!! It was so wonderful! He was wonderful. Think of what he will do with choirs of angels if he's in heaven! He's probably there, he loved God so much. He did so much for one of the few original kinds of USA music, spirituals.
I had the HONOR of not only meeting Mr. Hairston, but he gave our choral group a coaching session I'll never forget. Thank you Jester Hairston, for enriching the lives of so many....
My Junior High Choir from Churchill Junior in Salt Lake City performed with Mr. Hairston. It was amazing; obviously, I've never forgotten it. He sings the song for "Lily of the Fields" for Sidney Portier, which, I'm sure everyone knows. Still a thrill. Amen!
Singing with Jester Hairston was one of the most moving experiences of my life. In High school in 1965 we sang at the University of the Pacific. The entire floor area was Orchestra and the entire balcony was a choir. One of the things that most moved me was that Dr Hairston "felt" the music as I did. Moving all the time and instructing the choir "you've got to feel that beat" and he surely did!
@@caroldelahoyde8858 Do you know whether Jester Hairston had been a prof at UOP in the early 50's? My mom told us stories and had their vinyl records from some of their performances there. 20 years later she and another classmate got the chance to have coffee with him in Roseburg Oregon as he passed through. She was thrilled that he still remembered her as Timmie. (Her name is Tymara). Anyway, my curiosity comes late.
"You shut up til we get to your key!" Omg I was rolling 🤣🤣🤣🤣. We performed this selection for choral competition many moons ago in high school and I had a leg up on the song because it was featured prominently in Mom's favorite movie, "Lilies of the Field " and her and I watched that movie whenever it was on TV or when I finally found it on VHS. Inspirational and telling the story of life of Jesus Christ. I am blown away by this performance as well as many others with Mr Hairston on YT. He was in his 80s and 90s and STILL conducting choral groups. He had a small role in another great Poitier movie, "In the Heat of the Night" but most of us will fondly remember him as Rolly Forbes from "Amen".
Our minister of music, Frank Alpers, would arrange for Mr. Hairston to come to our church in the 1960s. Wasn't until I was an adult that I found how much of an honor that was. I still remember that white bread church rockin' with the congregation singing along. Now to find "Somebody's knockin' at your door."
I remember a recording of "Somebody's knocking at your door " sung by the Southern California community choir under the direction of James Cleveland... another musical giant!!! "...must be Jesus knocking at at your door...."
I had the honor and pleasure to sing for Jester Hairston in 1968 at the Festival of the Society for the Preservation of the Negro Spiritual. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am grateful for his work and his life. What a CONDUCTOR. Singing for him was indescribably exhilerating. He made you want to give your all -- at his direction. I will never forget it. We were an all white choir, singing with six all black choirs. He made us one, singing to please our Lord under his direction. I particularly remember singing, with our Mass Choir the songs Swing Low Sweet Chariot and I am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger. Glory and Honor be accorded to Jester Hairston.
Dr Hairston was 89 years old when this was taped. And there are thousand - perhaps tens of thousands of us who sang for him when we were young. He enriched our lives -- and his compositions - like Mary's Boychild - will live forever. Thank for you this video of this remarkable and wonderful man.
I was one of those students in the late sixties who benefitted from his genius and generosity in a little town in the West; Roseburg, Oregon. I will never forget those opportunities!
@@conniewilkes8071 Are you perhaps the lady that met Jester as he passed through Roseburg in the 1970's at the Tomtom restaurant? My mom said there was another lady with her when they met coffee. She was most thrilled that he still remembered her as "Timmie." (Her name is Tymara)
@@conniewilkes8071Connie!! This is Phil Hand...I was there, too!!! What a precious memory!!! What a wonderful coincidence to encounter you here!!! God bless!!!
1972, EUREKA, CA. Afro-American Songfest. Regional choir with several hundred students. He spent the day rehearsing with us and we were all amazed by his warmth and enthusiasm. He was small in stature but his God-filled spirit filled the gym. He told this same story for Amen as well as describing all the other songs. [I have a copy of the vinyl recording, even!]
Famous for “Lillies of the Field” with Sidney Poitier, Jester’s voice is doing the singing in the movie. Sidney is tone deaf. 🤗 One of my favorite Sidney movies!
I didn't know that. I am impressed that they used him instead of some white singer pretending to sound like a black man (e.g. "Amos and Andy" radio program). It is critical that we remember Dr. Hairston's entire history. Even though I am in my 60's, I only remembered him from "Amen." I knew that a lot of these actors had had incredible careers (WOODY STRODE, Isabel Sanford, John Amos, Esther Roller, Mabel King, Charles Coles, etc). But, most of us only know them for the almost two dimensional roles they played on TV sitcoms. However, if you actually study their performances, you'll see why they were popular. They breathed life into parts that were designed to be limited (Hattie McDaniel, anyone?). I just did a little research into Dr. Hairston's life. I am blown away. His academic achievements are the stuff of legends. He graduated from Tuft's University in 1929 (20 years after the first black graduate), and then attended Julliard. His commitment to preserving antebellum slave culture looks intriguing. I know what I am doing for the rest of the night!
@@mervyngreene6687 It's somewhat ironic that Jester Hairston was an actor on Amos and Andy! The radio show - He was proud of this! One of the few Black actors working on this show.
@@naughtynorris6803 Yeah, it's one of those "you had to be there* issues. My minor in college was drama. This was in the late 1970's when things were just starting to get better. We would have these late night debates over Hattie McDaniel, Nancy Kwan, Key Luke, Woody Strode, etc. I was one of two people in the discussion who had grown up in the South (Birmingham). The other guy was from New Orleans, so basically, I was on my own. The others were from the San Francisco Bay Area and the L.A./Long Beach Area. We were at Stanford. They said that they refused to watch any of these old movies (especially "Gone With the Wind"), because they found them dehumanizing. Also, they swore that they would never have taken those kinds of parts. I just said that they wouldn't have worked. Acting (especially TV and Film) is such a subjective, competitive professional, sometimes you have to take what you can get. Once you get it, you show them how great you are. They scoffed until I bring up Hattie McDaniel. She took the stereotypical "Mammy" character straight to the best supporting actress Oscar. Defeating well established actresses, including co-star who I believe resented not being nominated as Best Actress.
This is all perfectly done. The choir was just impeccable with their sound and his joyous voice, you can truly feel God was there enjoying the praise, definitely gave me happy tears❤❤❤
I had the great honor of singing under the direction of Jester Hairston twice, both at the West Coast Choral Festival, College of the Sequoias, California in 1959 and again in 1960. It was a tremendous experience and this song was the finale both times. I was with the Vesper Choir of San Luis Obispo Sr. High School, San Luis Obispo, California. The Festival included choirs from not only California, but Oregon and Nevada. What an experience!
I came across this because Sidney Poitier died today. This is one of the first songs I ever sang, way before I understood it. Way before I became a Christian. When I heard it again today I cried because this time I understood it. Amen!
I came on here because Jester plays a small part in The Heat of the Night with S.P....an amazing, disturbing, complex movie that captures small town MI in the 1960s...
Well, ignorance and insanity are absolutely everywhere (look at Russia and the Ukraine - would you prefer to be there?) ...but this film captures the human qualities of integrity, dignity, intelligence, good judgment...character traits which are COLOR-LESS. Anyone can dig deep and tap into their sense of trust and honor. It captures too our tendencies to struggle against social conditioning. Society teaches wrong; but in your heart you know RIGHT, you feel that no one in this world is beneath you based on skin tones. The police chief knows decency when he sees it...but he's lived in the negative and the vicious.. Rather than harping on gender, these qualities need to be nurtured on the playground and at the supper table and in the classroom. Cheers (and don't be scared).@@BLFulle
I love this song. I love the movie version. But Mr. Hairston is right. But of course he is he wrote it. And the is no better song of praise for the Lord than this beautiful song.
Never knew this before. I was 4th verse voice in a men's chorus 10 years ago and we may re-do this year. What a blessing to see the man himself! Just fantastic!
My chorus just performed a song arranged by Hairston -- "This Old House is Ha'nted". I'm told that years back Hairston sometimes conducted this group (Schola Cantorum of Los Altos, CA). David in Cal
he wrote these songs as if he had once been a plantation slave himself!!!!!...wish I could have met him. Here where I live, there's lots of Hairstons ...descendants in south central va. What a truly powerful personality he had!
I grew up across the street from Dr. Jester Hairston in Windsor Hills, CA. He was a truly gifted Spirit. He would perform every Easter at Holman Methodist Church. So many memories.
I just love that man!!! Such class and talent!!! Sadly not much if that anymore!
Beautiful performance!! Bravo! I remember when his character Raleigh performed this song on the TV show 'Amen"
I recall him on the sitcom "Amen" with Sherman Helmsley.
So beautiful our older generation was .
A real musician never wants the crowd to clap. 😂 love it
When my life comes to an end, I pray that I'm close to Mr Hairston for the rest of eternity!
1969 sang under his direction. An experience I will never forget!
I just loved this man. When in high school 1958-60 I met him at the summer camp in Stockton, Ca. Called then the "College of the Pacific" now UOP, it was a 5 week music camp where we would practice Mon-Sat and sing a concert on Sunday each of the 5 weeks + plus put on a full Opera at the conclusion of the camp. He was a guest choir leader at the camp. He loved high school kids. We had curfews at night and had to be in our room at a certain time, but he would sneak in and tell us stories and sing and teach us little ditties that he wrote. I told him I wanted to be a white kid in his choir - he would laugh and say "Come on down and join". I have such fond memories of this wonderful man.
He got those folk to clap in time. 😂
Happy belated Mr. Jester ❤❤❤❤
This is a wonderful video. He taught at my high school in 1969!! It was so wonderful! He was wonderful. Think of what he will do with choirs of angels if he's in heaven! He's probably there, he loved God so much. He did so much for one of the few original kinds of USA music, spirituals.
He was my cousin on my mom side. Sad I never had an opportunity to meet him.
Some good, musical talent genes in your family!
You shut up 'till we get in your key! LOL
Nice to see another Hampton on here lol but this should be said more often
I had the HONOR of not only meeting Mr. Hairston, but he gave our choral group a coaching session I'll never forget. Thank you Jester Hairston, for enriching the lives of so many....
My Junior High Choir from Churchill Junior in Salt Lake City performed with Mr. Hairston. It was amazing; obviously, I've never forgotten it. He sings the song for "Lily of the Fields" for Sidney Portier, which, I'm sure everyone knows. Still a thrill. Amen!
Singing with Jester Hairston was one of the most moving experiences of my life. In High school in 1965 we sang at the University of the Pacific. The entire floor area was Orchestra and the entire balcony was a choir. One of the things that most moved me was that Dr Hairston "felt" the music as I did. Moving all the time and instructing the choir "you've got to feel that beat" and he surely did!
@@caroldelahoyde8858 Do you know whether Jester Hairston had been a prof at UOP in the early 50's? My mom told us stories and had their vinyl records from some of their performances there. 20 years later she and another classmate got the chance to have coffee with him in Roseburg Oregon as he passed through. She was thrilled that he still remembered her as Timmie. (Her name is Tymara). Anyway, my curiosity comes late.
He came to our high school in CA and directed one of our concerts way back in 1968 or ‘69.
You were Truly Truly Blessed by The Creator of All! 🙏🕊🙏
One of the greatest
A true Christian! God bless
Bless him and his legacy. I cam remember singing this song in Bible school with my sister in the 80s.. Very powerful
Only one thing to say about this song: AMEN!!!
Beautiful to see the historic background on such a timeless song still song today. 🥰
"You shut up til we get to your key!" Omg I was rolling 🤣🤣🤣🤣. We performed this selection for choral competition many moons ago in high school and I had a leg up on the song because it was featured prominently in Mom's favorite movie, "Lilies of the Field " and her and I watched that movie whenever it was on TV or when I finally found it on VHS. Inspirational and telling the story of life of Jesus Christ. I am blown away by this performance as well as many others with Mr Hairston on YT. He was in his 80s and 90s and STILL conducting choral groups. He had a small role in another great Poitier movie, "In the Heat of the Night" but most of us will fondly remember him as Rolly Forbes from "Amen".
Our minister of music, Frank Alpers, would arrange for Mr. Hairston to come to our church in the 1960s.
Wasn't until I was an adult that I found how much of an honor that was.
I still remember that white bread church rockin' with the congregation singing along.
Now to find "Somebody's knockin' at your door."
I remember a recording of "Somebody's knocking at your door " sung by the Southern California community choir under the direction of James Cleveland... another musical giant!!! "...must be Jesus knocking at at your door...."
I had the honor and pleasure to sing for Jester Hairston in 1968 at the Festival of the Society for the Preservation of the Negro Spiritual. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am grateful for his work and his life. What a CONDUCTOR. Singing for him was indescribably exhilerating. He made you want to give your all -- at his direction. I will never forget it. We were an all white choir, singing with six all black choirs. He made us one, singing to please our Lord under his direction. I particularly remember singing, with our Mass Choir the songs Swing Low Sweet Chariot and I am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger. Glory and Honor be accorded to Jester Hairston.
My Brother from a different mother. I look forward to looking him up when I get there.
Dr Hairston was 89 years old when this was taped. And there are thousand - perhaps tens of thousands of us who sang for him when we were young. He enriched our lives -- and his compositions - like Mary's Boychild - will live forever. Thank for you this video of this remarkable and wonderful man.
I was one of those students in the late sixties who benefitted from his genius and generosity in a little town in the West; Roseburg, Oregon. I will never forget those opportunities!
I sang with him in the 80s, when I was around 10. He was such a wonderful man.💖
@@conniewilkes8071 Are you perhaps the lady that met Jester as he passed through Roseburg in the 1970's at the Tomtom restaurant? My mom said there was another lady with her when they met coffee. She was most thrilled that he still remembered her as "Timmie." (Her name is Tymara)
@@conniewilkes8071Connie!! This is Phil Hand...I was there, too!!! What a precious memory!!! What a wonderful coincidence to encounter you here!!! God bless!!!
Well said!
1972, EUREKA, CA. Afro-American Songfest. Regional choir with several hundred students. He spent the day rehearsing with us and we were all amazed by his warmth and enthusiasm. He was small in stature but his God-filled spirit filled the gym. He told this same story for Amen as well as describing all the other songs. [I have a copy of the vinyl recording, even!]
❤❤❤❤❤ AMEN AAAMENNNNN
Famous for “Lillies of the Field” with Sidney Poitier, Jester’s voice is doing the singing in the movie. Sidney is tone deaf. 🤗
One of my favorite Sidney movies!
I didn't know that. I am impressed that they used him instead of some white singer pretending to sound like a black man (e.g. "Amos and Andy" radio program).
It is critical that we remember Dr. Hairston's entire history. Even though I am in my 60's, I only remembered him from "Amen."
I knew that a lot of these actors had had incredible careers (WOODY STRODE, Isabel Sanford, John Amos, Esther Roller, Mabel King, Charles Coles, etc). But, most of us only know them for the almost two dimensional roles they played on TV sitcoms.
However, if you actually study their performances, you'll see why they were popular. They breathed life into parts that were designed to be limited (Hattie McDaniel, anyone?).
I just did a little research into Dr. Hairston's life. I am blown away. His academic achievements are the stuff of legends. He graduated from Tuft's University in 1929 (20 years after the first black graduate), and then attended Julliard.
His commitment to preserving antebellum slave culture looks intriguing. I know what I am doing for the rest of the night!
@@mervyngreene6687 It's somewhat ironic that Jester Hairston was an actor on Amos and Andy! The radio show - He was proud of this! One of the few Black actors working on this show.
@@naughtynorris6803 Yeah, it's one of those "you had to be there* issues. My minor in college was drama. This was in the late 1970's when things were just starting to get better.
We would have these late night debates over Hattie McDaniel, Nancy Kwan, Key Luke, Woody Strode, etc.
I was one of two people in the discussion who had grown up in the South (Birmingham). The other guy was from New Orleans, so basically, I was on my own.
The others were from the San Francisco Bay Area and the L.A./Long Beach Area. We were at Stanford.
They said that they refused to watch any of these old movies (especially "Gone With the Wind"), because they found them dehumanizing. Also, they swore that they would never have taken those kinds of parts.
I just said that they wouldn't have worked. Acting (especially TV and Film) is such a subjective, competitive professional, sometimes you have to take what you can get. Once you get it, you show them how great you are.
They scoffed until I bring up Hattie McDaniel. She took the stereotypical "Mammy" character straight to the best supporting actress Oscar. Defeating well established actresses, including co-star who I believe resented not being nominated as Best Actress.
This is all perfectly done. The choir was just impeccable with their sound and his joyous voice, you can truly feel God was there enjoying the praise, definitely gave me happy tears❤❤❤
This gives 💯 chills Amen! Dr. Hairston
I’m crying happy tears but sad tears at the same time.
I had the great honor of singing under the direction of Jester Hairston twice, both at the West Coast Choral Festival, College of the Sequoias, California in 1959 and again in 1960. It was a tremendous experience and this song was the finale both times. I was with the Vesper Choir of San Luis Obispo Sr. High School, San Luis Obispo, California. The Festival included choirs from not only California, but Oregon and Nevada. What an experience!
I came across this because Sidney Poitier died today. This is one of the first songs I ever sang, way before I understood it.
Way before I became a Christian. When I heard it again today I cried because this time I understood it. Amen!
I came on here because Jester plays a small part in The Heat of the Night with S.P....an amazing, disturbing, complex movie that captures small town MI in the 1960s...
@@julieb7785 I'll be honest with you, the South scares me to no end.
Well, ignorance and insanity are absolutely everywhere (look at Russia and the Ukraine - would you prefer to be there?) ...but this film captures the human qualities of integrity, dignity, intelligence, good judgment...character traits which are COLOR-LESS. Anyone can dig deep and tap into their sense of trust and honor. It captures too our tendencies to struggle against social conditioning. Society teaches wrong; but in your heart you know RIGHT, you feel that no one in this world is beneath you based on skin tones. The police chief knows decency when he sees it...but he's lived in the negative and the vicious.. Rather than harping on gender, these qualities need to be nurtured on the playground and at the supper table and in the classroom. Cheers (and don't be scared).@@BLFulle
@@julieb7785 I'll have to watch the movie.
Thank you your intelligent comment.
I love this whole video.... he explains it perfectly and sings it even better ....wow!!!!
I love this song. I love the movie version. But Mr. Hairston is right. But of course he is he wrote it. And the is no better song of praise for the Lord than this beautiful song.
Amen! I loved him on Amen. He just popped into my mind tonite
Shoot, I'ma clap all the way through!
I can's not member any time anyone was blue but! Hummmm.this man says yes
A TRUE legend...
Nice to see this chorus clap their hands and sing this great song.
Wow. Just saw another version of this and his voice hasn't changed from the movie. Just beautiful.
Never knew this before. I was 4th verse voice in a men's chorus 10 years ago and we may re-do this year. What a blessing to see the man himself!
Just fantastic!
Amen
My Fraternity Brother and fellow native North Carolinian. RIP in The Chapter Invisible.
“HE built the chapel!”
Amen.
My chorus just performed a song arranged by Hairston -- "This Old House is Ha'nted". I'm told that years back Hairston sometimes conducted this group (Schola Cantorum of Los Altos, CA).
David in Cal
POWERFUL song.
he wrote these songs as if he had once been a plantation slave himself!!!!!...wish I could have met him. Here where I live, there's lots of Hairstons ...descendants in south central va. What a truly powerful personality he had!
I grew up across the street from Dr. Jester Hairston in Windsor Hills, CA. He was a truly gifted Spirit. He would perform every Easter at Holman Methodist Church. So many memories.
@@user-bg7vm5oo4e =wow= Lucky YOU, being neighbors! I only saw him for one day- one glorious musical day back in 8th grade, 1972.
He was born in 1901.. He isn't too far removed 🤷🏿♀️
Amen!
Truly a blessing to have seen this...thank you for sharing.
Amen Lord. Alleluja.
Absolutely outstanding!
Glory to God!
Sounds so good!
Amen!!
Very good 👍
Beautiful
Epic.!!!
❤
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Suche die Langspielplatte des DRK auf der auch andere Lieder sind.
Dr hairston und his orchester
💖🙌🏽💖
ECCLESIASTES 12:13
AND verse 14....
I was shocked to see what his real claim to fame was . I always thought he was just character on AMEN and on Family Matters . 😊
Amen
❤