The Canton Spirituals is one of those groups that have served as a bridge between the quartets of old (like The Swan Silvertones, The Harmonizing Four and The Bells Of Joy) and the modern day groups.  For, The Cantons had been around about 35 years (having been founded in 1946) before the recording of Live In Memphis.  So, with this group you get the best from the older gospel quartet groups and you certainly get a fresh modern day gospel quartet sound.  Therefore, it should not have been a surprise that in 1993 when the group released Live In Memphis it took the music industry by storm.  What a storm it was.

Every song on the recording was a hit.  You had to attend the concert when The Cantons were on the program.  And, you did not complain when you had to sit for hours upon hours before The Cantons were brought to the stage.  The group made sure your waiting was not in vain.  Being able to re-capture that level of excitement is one of the reasons the video is still in demand.

There are twelve songs on this video.  They are the same twelve that are on the CD, but not in the same order.  The songs are "Ride This Train," "I'm Coming Lord," "Heavenly Choir," "Strugglin & Strainin," "Certainly Lord - (featuring The Original Canton Spirituals)," "Fix It Jesus," "Hello Mother," "Mississippi Poor Boy," "Jeremiah," "I'm in Your Care," "He's There All the Time,"  and "Rise Above It All."

It would not do justice to the project to single out any particular song.  All of the songs are worthy of your attention.  Fans of this group probably know the words to all of the songs and lip-sync to perfection while the group sings.  The guys really minister to you with this project. 

When you recall the members of the group for this recording, you know the group was at their peak. The members were Harvey Watkins, Sr. (December 5, 1929 – November 16, 1994), Harvey Watkins, Jr., Cornelius Dwayne Watkins, Merlin Lucious, Victor Allen, Wallace Strickland (died December 2, 2005), Michael Richardson and Rufus Mapp.  The Original Canton Spirituals that join the group on "Certainly Lord" were Eddie Jackson, Theo Thompson, and Roscoe Lucious.  Others that lend their talents to this project were Melvin Williams, Doug Williams (vocals), Randy Everett (guitar), Ralph Lofton (organ), Jerry Smith & The Children Of Israel (background vocals), and Andrew Perpener & The Greater Community Voices (background vocals).

The project was recorded at Greater Community Temple C.O.G.I.C., Memphis, Tennessee. The Church was the ideal setting for this recording. The stage-area was large enough for the singers not to be crowded by the musicians.  Yet, the group was close enough to the congregation for them to interact with those in attendance.

The project was produced by Melvin Williams, Doug Williams and Henry Green. T hey certainly were able to get the best out of The Cantons for this recording.

The quality of the sound is outstanding. There are no highs or lows in the sound quality. The recording level is consistent throughout the video. The lighting is also great.  You can clearly see the entire group, with no blind spots.  In addition, the close-ups of the group’s members are one of the best.

This is a great video.  It is also one, from a historical point of view, that should be in every fan of gospel music collection.  Don't miss the opportunity to add this video to your collection.  Years from now, you will regret not acquiring a copy of this video.  It is already hard to find the video, and although it was released on DVD in 2002, it is still difficult to find. 

The video is priceless.  We give the video  Live In Memphis by The Canton Spirituals a 10 out of 10.