Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Last updated
Instrumental New Orleans jazz version by Bunk Johnson

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee" is a traditional gospel song and jazz standard that has been performed and recorded by many artists. Performed as either an instrumental or vocal, "A Closer Walk" is perhaps the most frequently played number in the hymn and dirge section of traditional New Orleans jazz funerals. The title and lyrics of the song allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Corinthians 5:7 which states, "We walk by faith, not by sight" [1] and James 4:8, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." [2]

Contents

History

The precise author of "A Closer Walk" is unknown. Circumstantial evidence strongly suggested it dated back to southern African-American churches of the nineteenth century, possibly even prior to the Civil War, as some personal African American histories recall "slaves singing as they worked in the fields a song about walking by the Lord's side." [3] Horace Boyer cites a story that repudiates this claim, stating:

On a train trip from Kansas City to Chicago, composer Kenneth Morris exited the train on one of its stops to get some fresh air and heard one of the station porters singing a song. He paid little attention at first, but after he re-boarded the train the song remained with him and became so prominent in his mind that at the next stop, he left the train, took another train back to the earlier station, and asked the porter to sing the song again. Morris wrote down the words and music and published the song “Just a Closer Walk with Thee” that year, 1940, adding a few lyrics of his own to provide more breadth. Within two years the song became a standard in gospel music, eventually becoming a standard in Jazz, and then moving into the realm of American folk music, known and sung by many.” [4]

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee"
Single by Selah Jubilee Singers
A-side "A-Walking in the Light of God"
Released1941
RecordedOctober 8, 1941
Genre Gospel
Length3:19
Label Decca 7872
Songwriter(s) Unknown

Songs with similar chorus lyrics were published in the 1800s, including "Closer Walk with Thee" with lyrics by Martha J. Lankton (a pseudonym for Fanny Crosby) and music by William Kirkpatrick, which was published in 1885. [5] Some references in Atchison, Kansas, credit an African-American foundry worker and vocalist, Rev. Elijah Cluke (1907-1974), for the current rendition of the song. [6] "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" became better known nationally in the 1930s when African-American churches held huge musical conventions. [3] In 1940 Kenneth Morris arranged and published for the first time the well-known version after gospel musicians Robert Anderson and R.L. Knowles listened to William B. Hurse direct a performance of it in Kansas City and then brought it to Morris' attention. [7] Morris added some new lyrics and a choral arrangement. [7] In the 1940s, a boom of recordings recorded the number in many genres, ranging from Southern gospel to jazz and brass bands.

The first known recording was by the Selah Jubilee Singers on October 8, 1941, (Decca Records 7872) New York City; with Thurman Ruth and John Ford lead vocal; Fred Baker, lead baritone; Monroe Clark, baritone; J. B. Nelson, bass vocal; and Fred Baker on guitar. [8] Rosetta Tharpe also recorded the song on December 2, 1941 (Decca 8594), with Lucky Millinder and His Orchestra. [9]

The revived interest in traditional New Orleans jazz resulted in multiple recordings of the number, including a 1945 session by Bunk Johnson's Brass Band featuring numbers Johnson had played in New Orleans before he left in 1915.

In 1950, it was a million-seller for Red Foley.

In 1958, an unreleased home recording was recorded by Elvis Presley, [10] made in Waco, Texas, on May 27. [11] Presley's studio version can be heard on Just a Closer Walk with Thee (2000) (Czech CD on Memory label). [12] Tennessee Ernie Ford made the charts with it in the late 1950s. By the end of the 1970s, more than a hundred artists had recorded the song.

Lyrics

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong,
Jesus, keep me from all wrong,
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more,
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom's shore, to Thy shore.

Notable recordings

"Just a Closer Walk with Thee" has been recorded by numerous artists, including:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elvis Presley</span> American singer and actor (1935–1977)

Elvis Aaron Presley, known mononymously as Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Known as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, brought both great success and initial controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soul music</span> Genre of music

Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African-American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, where U.S. record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. It also had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo-soul, which added modern production elements and influence from hip-hop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hound Dog (song)</span> 1952 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded originally by Big Mama Thornton on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, "Hound Dog" was Thornton's only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog" is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", ranked at 318 in the 2021 iteration of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Hess</span> Musical artist

Jake Hess was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.

The origins of rock and roll are complex. Rock and roll emerged as a defined musical style in the United States in the early to mid-1950s. It derived most directly from the rhythm and blues music of the 1940s, which itself developed from earlier blues, the beat-heavy jump blues, boogie woogie, up-tempo jazz, and swing music. It was also influenced by gospel, country and western, and traditional folk music. Rock and roll in turn provided the main basis for the music that, since the mid-1960s, has been generally known simply as rock music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preservation Hall</span> Jazz club in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, US

Preservation Hall is a jazz venue in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The building is associated with a house band, a record label, and a non-profit foundation.

"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn, but is often played by jazz bands. One of the most famous jazz recordings of "The Saints" was made on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstrong and his orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz funeral</span> Tradition developed in New Orleans

A jazz funeral is a funeral procession accompanied by a brass band, in the tradition of New Orleans, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Dozen Brass Band</span> American brass band from New Orleans, Louisiana

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is an American brass band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The ensemble was established in 1977, by Benny Jones and members of the Tornado Brass Band. The Dirty Dozen incorporated funk and bebop into the traditional New Orleans jazz style, and has since been a major influence on local music. They won the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance in 2023.

"I'll Fly Away" is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message. Brumley's writing was influenced by the 1924 secular ballad, "The Prisoner's Song".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tell Me Why (1956 song)</span>

"Tell Me Why" is a popular song, written by Titus Turner in 1956. It is a slow, strong rhythm and blues ballad, and has a melody reminiscent of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". The first hit version was by Marie Knight, a black R&B singer, on the Mercury's subsidiary label, Wing. It was a local hit in New Orleans and Texas.

<i>Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential 70s Masters</i> 1995 box set by Elvis Presley

Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters is a five-disc box set compilation of the recorded work of Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1970s. It was released in 1995 by RCA Records, catalog number 66670-2, following similar box sets that covered his musical output in the 1950s and both his non-soundtrack and soundtrack work of the 1960s. This set's initial long-box release included a set of collectable stamps duplicating the record jackets of the LP albums on which the tracks in the box set were originally released by RCA. It also includes a booklet with an extensive session list and discography, as well as a lengthy essay by Dave Marsh, some of it excerpted from his 1982 book on Presley. The box set was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on July 15, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Herbert Brewster, Sr.</span>

Dr. William Herbert Brewster, Sr. was a 20th century Renaissance man born just outside Memphis, Tennessee. He was a Baptist minister by trade as well as a crucial figure in African American history who made a lasting national impact as a poet, playwright, gospel music composer, orator and civil rights leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Why Me (Kris Kristofferson song)</span> 1973 single by Kris Kristofferson

"Why Me" is an American country and gospel song written and recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson.

Sherman Andrus is an American gospel singer, who is probably best known as the man who broke the "color barrier" by becoming the first African-American lead singer of a mainstream Christian music group. He has been a very prolific artist who has been involved in one way or another with forty gospel albums to date.

<i>Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances</i> 1994 compilation album by Elvis Presley

Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Performances is a two-disc compilation of studio master recordings by Elvis Presley, released in 1994 on RCA Records and certified double platinum by the RIAA on July 15, 1999. The release also includes a booklet with session details and an essay by Charles Wolfe.

<i>Frankie and Johnny</i> (soundtrack) 1966 soundtrack album by Elvis Presley

Frankie and Johnny is the twelfth soundtrack album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Victor Records in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3553, in April 1966. An excursion into Dixieland and ragtime music, it is the soundtrack to the 1966 film of the same name starring Presley. Recording sessions took place at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California, on May 12, 13, and 14, 1965. It peaked at number 20 on the Top LP's chart. It was certified Gold and Platinum on January 6, 2004, by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Kenneth Morris was an African American composer of gospel music and publisher who popularized several songs, including "Just a Closer Walk with Thee".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand by Me (Charles Albert Tindley song)</span> 1905 gospel song

"Stand by Me" is a 1905 gospel song by Charles Albert Tindley. Despite the song's documented origins, it has sometimes been published without attribution or erroneously listed as "traditional".

"It's Over" is a 1966 song written and originally performed by Jimmie Rodgers. He released it as a single in 1966, with "Anita, You're Dreaming" on the flip side.

References

  1. ↑ "Just a Closer Walk with Thee | Details". AllMusic . Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  2. ↑ The Faith We Sing. Abingdon Press. 2000. p. 2158. ISBN   978-0687090549.
  3. 1 2 Collins, A. (2009). Turn Your Radio On. Zondervan. p. 142. ISBN   9780310864493.
  4. ↑ Boyer, Horance Clarence (2000). The Golden Age of Gospel. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 75. ISBN   0252068777.
  5. ↑ Kirkpatrick, W. McDonald, Joshua Gill, J. R. Sweney, W. J. (1885). Songs Of Joy And Gladness.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Your Top 10 Winners of the Wonders of Atchison County People". Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Encyclopedia of African American Music, Volume 3 (ABC-CLIO), pg. 83
  8. ↑ Dixon, Robert M. W. Blues and Gospel Records: 1890-1943, Oxford University Press (1997), page 786 - ISBN   0-19-816239-1
  9. ↑ Dixon, Robert M. W. Blues and Gospel Records: 1890-1943, page 912
  10. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2014-06-28. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  11. ↑ Neale, David. Roots of Elvis, iUniverse, page 74 - ISBN   0-595-29505-3
  12. ↑ "Bands and Artists: P: Presley, Elvis: Discography: Just A Closer Walk With Thee". MusicMoz. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  13. ↑ "Echos of New Orleans, Vol. 1 - George Lewis | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. 1943-05-16. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  14. ↑ Dick Monda, Truth, Lies, Magic, and Faith Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Just A Closer Walk With Thee (trad.)". Bobdylanroots.com. 1969-02-18. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  16. ↑ Gann, Kyle (1985-01-21). "Canadian Brass A Bold Mixture Of Music, Humor". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  17. ↑ "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". Spotify . 23 November 2012.
  18. ↑ "The Hillbilly Thomists".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.