| I Thank God | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Sam Cooke, The Gospel Harmonettes, and The Original Blind Boys | |
| Released | 1960 |
| Recorded | 1954–1959 |
| Studio | Various studios |
| Genre | Gospel [1] |
| Length | 31:25 |
| Language | English |
| Label | Keen |
I Thank God is a 1960 compilation album of gospel songs by Sam Cooke along with The Gospel Harmonettes and The Original Blind Boys, released on Keen Records.
The editorial staff of AllMusic Guide scored this album three out of five stars, with reviewer Ron Wynn writing that "those who feel that Cooke's gospel was his finest material will have that opinion validated" by this compilation. [1] A review of the compilation in Billboard supposed that this would be a "sock sales success" in the Christian music market [2] and a later review of the single release for "I Thank God" considered it to have very strong sales potential. [3]
Side one
Side two
A 2017 Vinyl Lovers reissue includes two bonus tracks: side A ends with Cooke's 1961 performance of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Willis) and side B ends with Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers doing "Farther Along" (Jesse Randall Baxter, Jr.) from 1954.
A compact disc re-release on Soul Jam also adds several bonus tracks
The original LP includes no credits, but the Soul Jam and Vinyl Lovers re-releases include the following personnel listing, with proposed members of The Gospel Harmonettes and The Original Blind Boys:
Sam Cooke tracks:
Tracks recorded between 1958 and 1959.
The Gospel Harmonettes:
Tracks recorded between 1956 and 1958.
The Original Blind Boys:
Tracks recorded between 1954 and 1958.
Samuel Cooke, known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distinctive vocals, pioneering contributions to the genre, and significance in popular music. During his eight-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Pop Singles chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top Ten of Billboard's Black Singles chart. In 1964, Cooke was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in Los Angeles. After an inquest and investigation, the courts ruled Cooke's death to be a justifiable homicide. His family has since questioned the circumstances of his death. Cooke is included on Billboard's 2015 list of the 35 greatest R&B artists of all time.
The Soul Stirrers were an American gospel music group, whose career spans over eighty years. The group was a pioneer in the development of the quartet style of gospel, and a major influence on Soul, Doo wop, and the Motown sound, some of the secular music that owed much to gospel.
Jodeci is an American R&B quartet consisting of members DeVanté Swing, Mr. Dalvin, K-Ci, and JoJo. Formed in 1988 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jodeci began as a duo of DeVanté Swing and JoJo but later each added their brothers. After signing with Uptown Records in 1990, the group finished work on their debut album, Forever My Lady (1991), which brought them mainstream success with three straight Billboard R&B No. 1 hit singles: the album's titular track, "Stay" and "Come and Talk to Me".
SAR Records was a record company founded by soul music legend Sam Cooke in 1961. The meaning of "SAR" has been disputed; it has been listed as "Sam & Alex Records" and also as "Sam, Alex, & Roy Records".
The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi was an American post-war gospel quartet. They started with lead singer Archie Brownlee, their single "Our Father" reached number ten on the Billboard R&B charts in early 1951. Then the screams of their new lead singer Big Henry Johnson captivated audiences all over the world. Jimmy was the heart of the group and the longest standing member. It was one of the first gospel records to do so.
The Blind Boys of Alabama, also billed as The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and Clarence Fountain and the Blind Boys of Alabama, is an American gospel group. The group was founded in 1939 in Talladega, Alabama, and has featured a changing roster of musicians over its history, the majority of whom are or were vision impaired.
The discography of Sam Cooke, an American singer and songwriter, consists of fourteen studio albums, two live albums, 49 singles, 13 compilations and 2 box sets. Over the course of his eight-year career, Cooke placed 29 singles in the Top 40 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. He also placed 20 singles in the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B chart, Black Singles chart. Between 1957 and 1960, Sam Cooke's records were produced on the Keen label. From 1960 through 1966, they were produced on the RCA label.
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"Bring It On Home to Me" is a song by American soul singer Sam Cooke, released on May 8, 1962, by RCA Victor. Produced by Hugo & Luigi, and arranged and conducted by René Hall, the song was the B-side to "Having a Party". The song peaked at number two on Billboard's Hot R&B Sides chart, and also charted at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has become a pop standard, covered by numerous artists of different genres. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
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American gospel singer Yolanda Adams has released 11 studio albums, 2 live albums and 6 compilation albums. Adams has been named as the "First Lady of Modern Gospel" by the media. With sales of nearly 10 million records worldwide, she was Billboard's Top Gospel Artist of the 2000s and has sold 4.5 million albums in the US since 1991. Five of her albums have reached number one on the US Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart. The Gospel Music Association inducted her into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Mountain High... Valley Low remains her best-selling album in the US, being certified Platinum by RIAA, while her albums Believe and Verity Presents: The Best of Yolanda Adams both reached gold status respectively.
Paul Foster was born in Grand Cane, Louisiana. He sang with the legendary gospel group, the Soul Stirrers, from 1950 to 1963. Foster sang second lead alongside two other gospel greats, Rebert Harris and Sam Cooke. Foster possessed a powerful, mournful tenor voice, a perfect foil to both Harris' and Cooke's sweeter more-flowery tenor styles. During his long career in gospel music, Foster also sang for other quartets such as the Rising Stars and the Golden Echoes. While nearly all of Foster's recordings take place in the recording studio, his powerful voice can be heard on the Soul Stirrers' dynamic performance on the album "The Great Shrine Concert of 1955", especially on the song "Be With Me Jesus", where Foster leads the group with his strong testimonial style.
"You Gotta Move" is a traditional African-American spiritual song. Since the 1940s, the song has been recorded by a variety of gospel musicians, usually as "You Got to Move" or "You've Got to Move". It was later popularized with blues and blues rock secular adaptations by Mississippi Fred McDowell and the Rolling Stones.
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Christian R&B is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music consisting of tracks with Christian-based lyrics or by musicians typically known for writing such songs. Music in this genre intends to uplift, entertain, or to give a Christian perspective on a topic. Christian R&B could be considered a subgenre of gospel music, or a cross-genre under both gospel and R&B.
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| Live albums | |
| Collaboration albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Singles |
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| Related articles | |
