The Fairfield Four
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Fairfield Four | |
|---|---|
| Genres | A cappella, gospel |
| Years active | 1921–present |
| Members | |
| Reverend Sam McCrary James Hill (baritone) Isaac 'Dickie' Freeman (bass) Willie Richardson Robert Hamlett Ed Hall Joe Thompson Edward Thomas (tenor) Willie Frank Lewis (utility) |
|
| Past members | |
| Harold Carrethers (baritone) Rufus Carrethers (bass) John Battle (lead) Lattimer Green (second lead) Wilson 'Lit' Waters Joseph Rice Roscoe Shelton[1] Bobby Hebb[1] |
|
The Fairfield Four is a gospel group that has existed for over 80 years. They started as a trio in Nashville, Tennessee's Fairfield Baptist Church in 1921.[2] They were designated as National Heritage Fellows in 1989 by the National Endowment for the Arts. The group won the 1998 Grammy for Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album. As a quintet, they featured briefly in the motion picture O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
The group gained more popular recognition after appearing on John Fogerty's 1997 album Blue Moon Swamp, singing on the track "A Hundred and Ten in the Shade". They also undertook live appearances with Fogerty.
Contents |
[edit] Awards
- National Endowment for the Arts, National Heritage Award, 1989
- Tennessee Lifetime Achievement Award, 1994
- Nashville Music Award Lifetime Achievement Award, 1995
- James Cleveland Stellar Award, 1996
- Grammy Award, Best Traditional Gospel Recording, for I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, 1997
- Gospel Music Hall of Fame, inducted in 1999
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
- "Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around/Standing in The Safety Zone", Dot, 1947
- "When I Get up in Heaven/Amazing Grace", Dot, 1947
- "Tree of Level/Jesus Met the Woman at the Well", Dot, 1949
- "Dear Lord, Look Down Upon Me/Savior Don't Pass Me By", Dot, 1949
- "In The Wilderness/Let Me Tell You About Jesus", Dot, 1949
- "In The Upper Room/I'll Tell The World", Dot, 1950
- "I Don't Know Why I Have to Cry/When I Move in the Room", Dot, 1950
- "Don't Drive Your Children Away/Does Jesus Care", Dot, 1950
- "Nobody To Depend On/Old Time Religion", Dot, 1950
- "No Room at the Inn/Talking About Jesus", Dot, 1950
- "I Love The Name Jesus/Leave Them There", Dot, 1950
- "On My Journey Now/Love Like a River", Dot, 1950
- "Poor Pilgrim of Sorrow/Don't Drive Her Away", Dot, 1950
- "Packing Every Burden/Don't Leave Me", Dot, 1951]
- "My Prayer/Come on to This Altar", Dot, 1951
- "Waiting for Me/Angels Watching", Dot, 1951
- "I'm in Your Care/I Can Tell You the Time", Dot, 1951
- "When We Bow/Let's Go", Dot, 1951
- "Hope To Shout in Glory/All the Way", Dot, 1951
- "I'll Be Satisfied/I've Got Good Religion", Dot, 1951
- "Come Over Here/Who Is That Knocking", Dot, 1953
- "His Eye Is on the Sparrow/Every Day", Dot, 1953
- "How I Got Over/This Evening Our Father", Dot, 1953
- "Stand by Me/Hear Me When I Pray", Dot, 1953
- "When The Battle Is Over/Standing on the Rock", Dot, 1953
- "Somebody Touched Me/Mother Don't Worry", Dot, 1953
- "We Never Grow Old/Jesus in Heaven", Dot, 1954
- "God Knows I'm a Pilgrim/Heaven in My View", Dot, 1954
[edit] Albums
- Standing in the Safety Zone, Warner Bros. Records, 1992
- I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray, Warner Bros. Records, 1997
- Wreckin' the House, Dead Reckoning, 1998
- Fairfield Four and Friends Live from Mountain Stage, Blue Plate, 2000
- The Bells Are Tolling, Ace, 2001
- Road to Glory, Fuel, 2001
- Beautiful Stars, Isaac Freeman and the Bluebloods, Lost Highway, 2002
[edit] Other contributions
- "Lonesome Valley", on O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack), 2000
- Lifted: Songs of the Spirit (2002, Sony/Hear Music) - "Roll Jordan Roll"
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Roscoe Shelton". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p169767/biography. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "The Fairfield Four"
[edit] External links
- Performances on the Prairie Home Companion
- Zolten, Jerry, Great God A' Mighty!:The Dixie Hummingbirds - Celebrating The Rise Of Soul Gospel Music, Oxford University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-19-515272-7.
[edit] Further reading
- "Fairfield Four" Contemporary Musicians. Ed. Angela M. Pilchak. Vol. 49. Thomson Gale, 2005. March 27, 2007
- Billboard, July 22, 2000, p. 6.
- Capital Times (Madison, WI), June 4, 2001, p. 3A.
- Denver Post, July 31, 1998, p. E7.
- Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), July 14, 2000, p. 96.
- Independent (London, England), July 12, 2000, p. 6.
- Nashville Scene, February 26, 1998.
- Sarasota Herald Tribune, April 15, 1999, p. 5E.
- Seattle Times, July 8, 2000, p. A4
- Alabama Hall of Fame, (March 19, 2004).
- Bill Friskics-Warren Adding Notes to a Folklorist’s Tunes New York Times December 2, 2007
