string(3) "dev" The Fairfield Four - The Bells Are Tolling - Ace Records

The Bells Are Tolling The Fairfield Four

£7.43

Genre:
Gospel
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHM 771

Those of you who first caught the Fairfield Four at the Meltdown Festival at London's South Bank in 1995 will remember how beautifully pure, raw and rootsy the a cappella gospel quartet sounded. Well if that moved you, this CD reissue of the Fairfield Four's last truly magnificent LP, Bells Are Tolling, will transport you straight through the portals of the Pearly Gates. The Fairfield Four are Nashville's premier aggregation, considered by scholars to be at the top of their field.

Founded as a family trio at the Sunday school of the Fairfield Baptist Church on Hermitage Avenue in the early 1920s, the quartet won a Colonial Coffee Company contest to appear on a regular radio spot at Nashville's powerful 50,000 watt WLAC. Sponsored by Sunway Vitamins, their CBS network hook-up broadcasts were heard throughout the United States. The quartet, who sang in a style that embraced both the older gospel jubilees and the newer emotional extemporisations, became extremely popular in the South and Midwest and acquired a prestige with the public no other quartet could match.

By the 1940s, they were touring extensively and on the home front hosted major gospel extravaganzas at the Ryman Auditorium featuring the major luminaries of the day. Their first recordings were made in 1946 for Bullet on Lower Broad Street, Nashville. Seminal members in the group then were lead tenors Sam McCrary and John Battle, baritone Willie Frank Lewis, tenor George Gracy, basso Rufus Carrethers and his brother Harold. By the time the group had switched to the Delta label, McCrary and Lewis had recruited a super-group composed of baritone James Hill of Bessamer, Alabama, tenor/house-wrecker Edward Preacher Thomas from Louisiana, tenor Preston York from Atlanta plus basso-supreme Isaac "Dickie" Freeman from St John's, Alabama. With this all-star line-up the group became invincible in "Battles of Song" against other leading quartets.

A rift occurred in 1950, and Thomas, Freeman and Hill defected to the Skylarks. McCrary struggled to keep a fully professional group on the road and by late 1958 was compelled to press-gang an excellent young group, the Silver Quintet of Gary, Indiana (who had recorded for Vee Jay in Chicago) and make them into the Fairfield Four.

Under Hoss Allen's supervision the new group cut at least two sessions at Nashville's famous RCA Victor Studios in late spring 1960. The lead singers here are Sam McCrary, Clarence Mills and Joe Henderson (who soon had a U.S. Top 10 hit with the Brook Benton-like Snap Your Fingers). As a cappella was fast becoming a thing of the past, a three-piece rhythm section was added to the mix. The result was an exciting, fervent collection of both new and old standards on an album for Hy Weiss's Old Town label that, due to unwarranted poor sales, became as rare as hen's teeth. This long overdue release serves to justly rectify the matter.

by Opal Louis Nations

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview The Bells Are Tolling

  • 02 Preview What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?

  • 03 Preview Memories (Of My Mother)

  • 04 Preview Every Knee Has Got To Bow

  • 05 Preview Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around

  • 06 Preview Wait On The Lord aka He's My Rock, My Sword, My Shield aka Wait On Jesus

  • 07 Preview I John Saw The Number

  • 08 Preview In The Old Time Way

  • 09 Preview At The Gates Of The City

  • 10 Preview My Work On Earth Will Soon Be Done

  • 11 Preview I'll Be So Happy aka If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again

  • 12 Preview Hide Me In Thy Bosom

Delivery & Returns

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We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Bus Stop Mail Order Ltd, 42-50 Steele Road, London, NW10 7AS. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Bus Stop Mail Order Ltd, 42-50 Steele Road, London, NW10 7AS. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Press quotes

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This is one of those albums that just grips you from one end to the other, when it isn't rocking, it's tearing your heart with slow-burners...it's a real beauty.

Blues & Rhythm

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