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About Gloryland Gospel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Harmonizing Four

 

 

This Is Gospel

I Shall Not Be Moved

 

 

 

 

This month we review the compilation CD of the Harmonizing Four.  This CD is Volume 18 of Calvin Records' This Is Gospel series. The title of this CD is I Shall Not Be Moved. According to the information contained in the liner notes, this recording represents the Harmonizing Four tenure with the HOB label.


Very little has been written about the
Harmonizing Four.  From liner notes and obituaries one can deduce that the group was organized in Richmond, Virginia in 1927.  The members of the group during their formative years were Thomas "Goat" Johnson, Joseph "Gospel Joe" Williams, Jimmy Jones and Levi Handly. It is believed that Lonnie Smith joined the group in the early 30s.  Tommie Ellison (The Superstar) was also once a member of this group.  And, by the way, Lonnie Smith was the father of Jazz legend Lonnie Liston Smith.


The
Harmonizing Four has been considered one of the top gospel quartet groups of the postwar era.  Their repertoire includes some of the most lasting gospel recordings ever.  For collectors of gospel music any recording by the Harmonizing Four is priceless.  Therefore, it is likely that this CD will become a collector's item.


There are twenty (20) tracks on this CD. They are “Let God Abide,” “Mother’s Prayer Has Followed Me,” “Where He Leads Me,” “Jesus Is A Friend To Everyone,” “I Shall Not Be Moved,” “Working For The Lord,” “Oh Lord, Stand By Me,” “Lift Every Voice,” “Protect My Loved Ones," "I’ll Never Turn My Back No More,” “Say A Word,” “Keep Me All The Way,” “You Ought To Know The Lord,” “Good Lord Bless,” “Blessed Jesus,” “When I Am Gone,” “I Am On The Battlefield For My Lord,” “God’s Gonna Move This Wicked Rain,” “Will There Be Any Stars In My Crown,” and “I Started In Jesus


There is a bonus track on the CD that is actually a video of presenting about six (6) minutes on the history of gospel music. For anyone wanting a jump start on learning the history of gospel music, the bonus track is a good starting point.


There is no way to single out any particular song from this CD. All the songs have a powerful message and will certainly have you yearning for more from this group of years gone by.  If there is one theme running through all of the tracks on this CD it would be HARMONY.  The harmony is just awesome.  It is even more profound when you realize that the tracks were original done on early analog and long before digital.  Yet, the vocals on each track are clear.  The instrumentation sounds just as it did when the tracks were originally recorded.


The group may no longer exist, but there music will love on forever. If you ever wanted to add a recording from the
Harmonizing Four to your collection, this is definitely the one.  We give the Harmonizing Four's I Shall Not Be Moved a 9.5 out of 10.
 

You may not be able to find this CD in your local record store. You should be able to purchase it by clicking on I Shall Not Be Moved.   Click on the title to hear “I Am On The Battlefield For My Lord."

 

 

 

 

 

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