The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story, Vol. 1

by D-Vine Spirituals Records Story 1 / Various

Overview

In 2019, Bruce Watson, the impresario behind Fat Possum, launched the Memphis-based Bible & Tire Recording Company. He wanted to shed light on the city's gospel tradition by reissuing vintage recordings and new titles. The latter includes 2021 masterpieces by Elizabeth King (Living in the Last Days) and Elder Jack Ward (Already Made). The two compilations of The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story offer great music of course, but tell another story, too: Of the collaborative relationship between two men, one Black -- gospel DJ, engineer, pastor and producer Rev. Juan D. Shipp -- and one white -- Tempo Recording Studio owner Clyde Leoppard, a former Sun Records session drummer and current of the western swing outfit Clyde Leoppard & the Snearly Ranch Boys. Unlike many homegrown gospel labels of the era, D-Vine Spirituals' singles offer excellent sound and production values -- including the use of pure, first-generation black vinyl -- without being slick. Volume One kicks off with Elizabeth King's monster single "I Heard the Voice" from 1973, with her soul-drenched alto supported by a backing chorus of doo woppers, B-3, guitar vamps, and a swinging rhythm section. Despite its unmistakable Memphis vibe, the song could just as easily have been an early release for Motown. Next up, the Southern Sons' "I'm a Soldier in God's Army" mines the sultry gospel blues with reverbed guitar (a la Pops Staples) offering a slow, brooding intensity. The Gospelaires' fingerpopping "I'm Going Home" intersects the gospel vocal group tradition with deep blues and shuffling funk. Evelyn Taylor's "Look at Your Life" is Sunday morning altar-call fare, with a bluesy piano framing breakbeats and a walking bassline, as she wails the truth over a responsorial chorus. "You Got to Live the Life" is roaring, raw, boogie-drenched electric gospel that sounds like it was recorded in church. Ward joins the Gospel Four to offer the electrifying "God's Gonna Blow Out the Sun." A bubbling snare and hi-hat undergird an ominous Farfisa organ as Ward and singers engage in canny, syncopated, call-and-response. The spacy keys on the Kingdom Airs' "The Reason I Love Him" wed storefront gospel to Stax's gritty groove. "Where You Gonna Run?" by the D-Vine Spiritualettes, is a sweet yet strange midtempo ballad whose arrangement borrows from the girl group pop-soul of the early 1960s. It also features a gloriously weird lead guitar improvising throughout. The Gospel Four sans Ward showcase their singular. harmonically sophisticated vocal approach on the bubbling "The Devil Don't Like It" before the Traveling Stars take it out with "When I Looked," a driving Sunday morning Benediction with hard-grooving organ, snaky guitar, and clattering snare. There isn't a weak moment on The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story, Vol. 1. It is revelatory in its juxtaposition of the post-war, Thomas Dorsey-influenced gospel tradition and modern approaches to popular Black music without sacrificing integrity, spirituality, or quality. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	01/14/2022
Label:	Bible & Tire Recording Company
UPC:	0854255000182
Rank:	87095

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Gospelaires   Primary Artist
Evelyn Taylor   Primary Artist
The Supreme Travelers   Primary Artist
The Spiritual Stars of Kansas City, Missouri   Primary Artist
The Kingdom Airs   Primary Artist
The Joy of Memphis   Primary Artist
The Seven Brothers   Primary Artist
Southern Sons   Primary Artist
D   Primary Artist
Heavenly Stars   Primary Artist
The Gospel Four   Primary Artist
The Traveling Stars   Primary Artist
Elizabeth King & the Gospel Souls   Primary Artist
D-Vine Spiritualettes   Primary Artist
Elder Ward   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Kerri Mahoney   Package Design
Bruce Watson   Compilation Producer
Rev. Juan D. Shipp   Compilation Producer
Michael Hurtt   Compilation Producer,Liner Notes
Clay Jones   Mastering