Mitchell's Christian Singers
Encyclopedia
Mitchell's Christian Singers were an American
gospel music
group who recorded prolifically between 1934 and 1940.
, the group initially featured William Brown (lead tenor
), Julius Davis (tenor), Louis "Panella" David (baritone
) and Lewis Herring (bass), all former farmers. Later, two of them drove trucks, one was a carpenter and one a tobacco-factory hand. Good friends, they gradually drifted into the habit of singing together in the evenings after work.
They were discovered by J. B. Long
, a talent scout for the American Record Company who was also responsible for discovering Blind Boy Fuller
. Originally known as the "New Four Quartet," they were managed by former singer Willie Mitchell and first recorded in August 1934 as "Mitchell's New Four Singers" under the supervision of producer William Calloway. In 1935, Herring left and was replaced by Sam Bryant. When they recorded again in 1936, they did so under the name of "Mitchell's Christian Singers". They recorded over 80 songs over six years, released on seven different labels owned by the American Record Company. They became more widely known after performing at the From Spirituals to Swing
concert presented by John Hammond
in Carnegie Hall
on 23 December 1938. Their last recordings were in 1940, after which they occasionally performed at community functions in Kinston.
They pioneered a 'primitive' idiosyncratic style of a cappella
gospel singing: curiously wailing, syncopated
spiritual
s, with a "down home" quality, featuring with an interplay of voices that anticipated the sound of post-war gospel quartet
s. Their material was mostly standard quartet fare like What Are They Are Doing In Heaven?, Traveling Shoes, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, etc.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
group who recorded prolifically between 1934 and 1940.
Musical career
Formed in the early 1930s in Kinston, North CarolinaKinston, North Carolina
Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...
, the group initially featured William Brown (lead tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), Julius Davis (tenor), Louis "Panella" David (baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) and Lewis Herring (bass), all former farmers. Later, two of them drove trucks, one was a carpenter and one a tobacco-factory hand. Good friends, they gradually drifted into the habit of singing together in the evenings after work.
They were discovered by J. B. Long
J. B. Long
James Baxter Long, Sr. was an American store manager, owner, and record company talent scout, responsible in the 1930s for discovering Fulton Allen and Gary Davis, among other notable blues musicians.-Biography:Long was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina to parents Henry Baxter Long and...
, a talent scout for the American Record Company who was also responsible for discovering Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller
Blind Boy Fuller was an American blues guitarist and vocalist. He was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists with rural Black Americans, a group that also included Blind Blake, Josh White, and Buddy Moss.-Life and career:Fulton Allen was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina,...
. Originally known as the "New Four Quartet," they were managed by former singer Willie Mitchell and first recorded in August 1934 as "Mitchell's New Four Singers" under the supervision of producer William Calloway. In 1935, Herring left and was replaced by Sam Bryant. When they recorded again in 1936, they did so under the name of "Mitchell's Christian Singers". They recorded over 80 songs over six years, released on seven different labels owned by the American Record Company. They became more widely known after performing at the From Spirituals to Swing
From Spirituals to Swing
From Spirituals to Swing was the title of two concerts presented by John Hammond in Carnegie Hall on 23 December 1938 and 24 December 1939. The concerts included performances by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson, Helen Humes, Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons, Mitchell's...
concert presented by John Hammond
John H. Hammond
John Henry Hammond II was an American record producer, musician and music critic from the 1930s to the early 1980s...
in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
on 23 December 1938. Their last recordings were in 1940, after which they occasionally performed at community functions in Kinston.
They pioneered a 'primitive' idiosyncratic style of a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
gospel singing: curiously wailing, syncopated
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
spiritual
Spiritual (music)
Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
s, with a "down home" quality, featuring with an interplay of voices that anticipated the sound of post-war gospel quartet
Gospel quartet
The term Gospel quartet refers to several different traditions of harmony singing. Its origins are varied, including 4-part hymn singing, shapenote singing, barbershop quartets, jubilee songs, spirituals, and other Gospel songs....
s. Their material was mostly standard quartet fare like What Are They Are Doing In Heaven?, Traveling Shoes, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, etc.