NASHBORO LIVE PROGRAM

Through the years we have played several 'live' tracks at our blog, many of them from the Nashboro-Creed catalogue. The people at Nashboro and its its subsidiary Creed released several 'live' albums. Most of their 'live' albums were recorded in the second half of the seventies when the production costs of live recordings became a lot less than they were in previous years.  When AVI bought Nashboro, one of the first things they did was releasing all kinds of live albums by their artists. The AVI 'live' albums have the look and the feel of scraping the barrel in need for some cash in order to survive as a record company. This may be true, but what 'live' leftovers are in the Nashboro vaults are still some of the most exciting live gospel recordings of the seventies.

There was and is no better way of experiencing gospel music than in a live setting. Many of our favourites have joined the Heavenly Choir, so the only thing we can do is to create our own Nashbore Live Program Podcast. There are only two questions that need to be answered making such a podcast. What songs and artists to leave out? In what order to play those who are selected? They are all 'headliners' even the ones that didn't make it into this podcast. And every live recording they made deserves a place in a podcast like this.  Here is my answer to those question, just under two hours of Nashboro's finest artists performing 'live'. 

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Consolers

Husband and wife duo Sullivan and Iola Pugh remained throughout their career close to their original rural bluesy style. There isn't a lot of change in style in their more than 20 albums released on Nashboro between 1961 and 1981.

1. Lord Don't Leave Me

2. May The Work I've Done Speak For Me

Delois Barrett Campbell & the Barrett Sisters

Delois Barrett started her singing career sometime in the early fifties as a member of the Roberta Martin Singers. In the late fifties she left the Gospel Highway to raise her children. In the late sixties she returned and formed a group with her sisters Billie and Rhodessa. They had four releases on Creed and when Creed folded they moved on to Savoy for more releases .

3. I Want To Walk And Talk With Jesus

4. I'll Fly Away

Howard "Slim" Hunt & the Supreme Angels

This group from Milwaukee released 16 albums betweeen the mid-sixties and mid-eighties on Nashboro. After Nashboro closed shop they moved to HSE, Meltone, J&B and Melendo for more releases.

5. By And By

6. Going Home To Live With Jesus

Swanee Quintet

This group of gentlemen from Georgia was by far the most prolific group on Creed. They started their stint at Nashboro in 1951. After recording five albums for Nashboro, they moved to Creed for another 17 albums, before returning to Nashboro where they released three more albums.

7. You've Got To Move

8. New Born Soul

Rev. Cleophus Robinson

The singing and preaching Reverend Cleophus Robinson released twelve albums on Nashboro. The 'live' tracks selected for this podcast are taken from his album "Live From Europe" (Nashboro LP7197) which was released in 1978 and was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival. 

9. Grandma's Hands

10. Didn't It Rain 

Tommy Ellison & the Five Singing Stars

We all have our own personal favourites, and Tommy Ellison & the Five Singing Stars are certainly one of my favourite quartets on Nashboro. Tommy Ellison passed away in January 2009, but his group The Legendary Stars continues to perform all over the USA. It was while listening to their live recordings that I got the idea of making this podcast.

11. Come On Home

12. I've Been Loving God For So Long

Gospel Keynotes

Willie Neal Johnson & the Gospel Keynotes did some serious housewrecking back in the day. They had more than 10 albums on Nashboro. After their period at Nashboro they moved to Malaco releasing even more albums.

13. Give Me A Clean Heart

14. Jesus You've Been Good To Me

15. I Feel The Fire Burning

Sensational Williams Brothers

The Sensational Williams Brothers made their recording debut on SongBird in the sixties. They were only for a short period at Nashboro in the mid-seventies before moving to Savoy and later Malaco.

16. Somebody Needs You Lord

17. Jesus Will Fix It

Pilgrim Jubilees

In 1979 they recorded their double-album "Homecoming: Recorded Live In Chicago (Nashboro LP27212). It's a killer! For the group's history you best read Alan Young's book "The Pilgrim Jubilees".

18. We're The People

19. Too Close

20. Don't Let Jesus Down

Dorothy Love Coates

When you're looking for 'hard' female quartet singing don't look further. It won't get any better than Dorothy Love Coates singing 'live'.  Dorothy Love Coates & the Gospel Harmonettes released nine albums on Nashboro. After their period at Nashboro, they released four albums on Savoy.

1. Lord You've Been Good To Me

2. I Won't Let Go

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Contributors: John Glassburner and Howard Robinson

(Cies: July 2010)