Time to say goodbye to gospel singer James
Blackwood of the legendary Blackwood Brothers quartet. Born 4th
August 1919 in Choctaw County, Mississippi to a large family that lived in
impoverished circumstances, a deeply religious family who attended church
regularly.
1934 would see James, along with his brothers Roy
and Doyle, forming the first Blackwood Brothers quartet. Blackwood’s rich
baritone voice became a regular feature at various churches and country fairs
performing traditional material and up-tempo spirituals including ‘Give The
World A Smile’ which became their theme tune. Disbanding during the war
years, they reformed in the latter half of the forties, finding themselves more
popular than ever, which encouraged them to move to Memphis, Tennessee in 1950.
Soon they had a daily radio show on WMPS and signed with RCA the following year.
R W, James, Roy, Doyle
1954 would see the second incarnation of the outfit
when Roy and Doyle left to open a gospel music record shop. The new line up won
the talent contest on a nationwide TV show – the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts
– performing ‘Have You Talked To The Man Upstairs’. They now had
the world at their feet. Sadly though, tragedy would soon strike when their
hired private plane, whilst practising landing on a small landing strip, crashed
and burst into flames. James could only watch in horror as the new members,
including another brother and Bill Lyles, were engulfed by the inferno.
Apparently the funeral would be the largest ever seen in Memphis until that of
Elvis Presley many years later.
The group continued, with new members including J D
Sumner, to produce around 200 albums and picked up nine Grammy awards. James was
forced to retire for a while because of ill health in 1970 but, once his health
improved, he was back treading the boards although not performing on such a
regular basis. James was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and
the Blackwood Brothers quartet was inducted complete in 1996.
Hovie
Lister, Jake Hess, James, J D Sumner,
Rosie
Rozell
Every month in the early fifties the group would
play regular concerts at the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis. It was there that a
lifelong friendship with Elvis Presley began. The young hillbilly cat would
either attend the concerts if he had enough money to buy a ticket or simply hang
around the stage door. It is alleged he once asked to join the group. Within a
couple of years Elvis would sign with Sun Records and the rest is history as
they say. The group sang ‘Rock Of Ages’ and ‘Precious
Memories’ at Elvis’ mother Gladys’ funeral in 1958. James Blackwood
performed ‘How Great Thou Art’, Presley’s favourite song, at his
funeral in 1977.