The King of the Gospel Singers
| The King of the Gospel Singers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Little Richard | ||||
| Released | March 1962 | |||
| Recorded | c. June 1961 | |||
| Genre | Gospel | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Quincy Jones | |||
| Little Richard chronology | ||||
| ||||
The King of the Gospel Singers is the sixth studio album from Little Richard, discounting compilations. A gospel album from sessions he recorded for the Mercury Records label, it is generally regarded as being a better recording than his two albums with the Goldner label.[1]
History
The tracks making up the album were recorded in New York City with an approximate recording date of June 1961. Recalling the sessions, producer Quincy Jones noted: I had the pleasure to record with Little Richard "Joy Joy Joy" and "He's Not Just A Soldier" for his albums [...] It was truly a joy working with Little Richard in New York; though he was still very religious I noticed that he never lost his feeling for Rock 'n' Soul. [1]
A further twelve gospel tracks were recorded for the Mercury label at an unknown location in March 1962. Of these additional tracks, only two were released at the time, with "Change Your Ways"/"He Got What He Wanted" an April 1962 single. The remaining tracks were issued only as bootlegs, or as archive releases in the 1980s.
After this period Richard continued his commitment to gospel, recording eleven tracks for Atlantic Records between June 1962 and April 1963. Finally, he was enticed back into the rock 'n' roll genre during a tour of England, cutting five tracks for Specialty Records between April 1963 - April 1964.
Legacy
The King of the Gospel Singers would indirectly lead to the resurrection of Richard's rock 'n' roll career, as the touring schedule saw him sharing bills with The Beatles and become inspired by his old sound. Richard himself observed of the album that it was the thing that really put me back in business. It was just the kind of music I had always wanted to record. After it was released the offers for gospel concerts started pouring in. [1]
Track listing
- "It's Real" (Homer L. Cox)
- "Joy Joy Joy" (Charles Hutchison Gabriel)
- "Do You Care" (Wailin Bill Dell)
- "The Captain Calls for You" (A.W. Spaulding, Harold A. Miller)
- "In Times Like These" (Ruth Caye Jones)
- "Do Lord, Remember Me" (Quincy Jones, Richard Penniman)
- "Ride On, King Jesus" (Quincy Jones, Richard Penniman)
- "(There Will Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me)" (Thomas A. Dorsey)
- "He's Not Just a Soldier" (Richard Penniman, William Pitt)
- "My Desire" (Thomas A. Dorsey)
- "He's My Star" (Richard Penniman)
- "It Takes Everything to Serve The Lord" (Marshall Kelly, Samuel Bond)
Personnel
The Quincy Jones Orchestra
The Howard Roberts Chorale
Plus unknown instrumentalists.
