Zion Travelers

The Zion Travelers might not have achieved the national notoriety of contemporary gospel quartets like the Spirit Stirrers, Pilgrim Travelers, or the Swan Silvertones. Even so, Zion Travelers had been one among the finest-quality gospel quartets of the time. Stylistically different, the recordings of Zion Travelers supply the listener with an excellent musical cross portion of what gospel-quartet performing from the past due ’40s and ’50s was about. Zion Travelers had been located in the LA, CA, region and highlighted L.C. Cohen and Bartha L. Watkins on qualified prospects. Other group people had been L.W. Truck (tenor), Garland Destiny Mason (tenor), Wesley Sherman (baritone), and Felton Vernon (bass). The group shaped in 1944 and initial recorded in past due 1947 and early 1948 in the Atlas label, issuing two singles: “I CANNOT See Mine” supported with “VERY GOOD NEWS,” and “Prayin’ Period” protected with “I’m Gonna LET YOU KNOW.” In 1949, they implemented up with two even more releases, this time around in the Rex label: “Jesus” supported with “Golden Bells,” and “I’VE a pal” sided with “God Qualified prospects His Kids Along.” The first ’50s noticed two even more singles released with the group, this time around in the Ruby label. The Ruby waxings had been “Lord Jesus” matched with “Arrive Over Right here,” and “God’s Bloodstream” supported with “Ruler Jesus Rolls All Burdens Apart.” As we were holding all fairly obscure labels, the initial Zion Travelers produces are quite difficult to find in their first 78 RPM platforms. An article inside a June 1950 Billboard publication mentioned that Zion Travelers experienced documented for the recently formed Sultan Information, located in Natchez, MS. The news release might have been early, though, because the Hayes-Laughton gospel discography records that no discs by Zion Travelers on Sultan possess have you been uncovered. Another likelihood, in line with the area of Sultan Information, would be that the guide was to the Zion Travelers Religious Singers, an organization who had been located in Baton Rouge, LA, that was fairly near Natchez. (Both are about 90 mls aside.) In 1953, the group shifted to the Aladdin Information complex, possessed by brothers Eddie and Leo Mesner, and released two singles on that label. We were holding “Charge to help keep I’VE” protected with “Your Wicked Methods,” and “THE STAND BY POSITION Me” matched with “Last Times.” Additionally, they released four even more discs in 1953 and 1954 on the business’s subsidiary Rating label. Two of the Score produces, “Arrive Over Right here” and “Movin in the King’s Highway,” also show up on an Imperial various-artist compilation LP. In 1956, the group shifted to Dootsie Williams’ Dootone (or Dooto) label. They documented two singles for Dootone, “Two Small Fishes” supported with “Loss of life of Jesus,” and “Soldier from the Mix” sided with “Near Thee.” These game titles in addition to “He Lightened My Weighty Weight” also made an appearance on Dootone LP-225, THE VERY BEST Gospel Performers. This LP also features choices from the Kansas Town Spirit Revivers (including their marvelous documenting of “Jesus Arrived at nighttime”) as well as the Friendly Five. The Dootone liner records on Zion Travelers declare that that they had been presented in two movies: God from the Mountains and Wonder Through Tunes. “Two Small Fishes,” based on the liner records, was the group’s most effective solitary at that time. “Loss of life of Jesus” is really a somber piece with an insistent tranquility history and a harder business lead style, similar to the Five Blind Males. This hard design may also be noticed on “Near Thee” and “He Lightened My Large Insert.” By method of comparison, “Soldier from the Combination” features a gentle falsetto-flavored lead, like the Swan Silvertones’ Claude Jeter, using a simple, understated, R&B-styled history. Zion Travelers appear similarly aware of both designs, a testimony with their musical variety and skill. In 1957 the group documented for just one more Los Angeles-based record label. Ebb Information, possessed by Lenora Rupe, released just one disk by Zion Travelers. Both edges of the one Ebb discharge, “Have confidence in Me” and “Gorgeous Town” (a shifting ballad), are available with an Ace Compact disc, The Ebb Tale, Vol. 2. 1958 found Zion Travelers back the studio once again. This time around the group documented six songs, that have been released as three singles within the Excell label. These included “Milky White colored Method” (a cover from the Trumpeteers’ 1948 charted solitary) supported with “Eternity,” “THERE IS NOTHING I Can Perform” combined with “It’s Amazing,” and the ultimate solitary, “Jesus,” teamed with “Take Aside.” In the first ’60s, the group came back to Dooto, but this time around with a switch in staff. Lloyd Macklin and William Robinson experienced replaced tenors Vehicle and Mason, and Joe Hughes was right now the group’s regular guitarist. This association with Dooto would make five singles, in addition to several more songs released on Dooto LP-807, Down from the River. Zion Travelers’ audio during this time period was quite much like their previously Dootone recordings. It had been also well-recorded by Dootsie Williams. Instrumentation is definitely light and held nicely in the backdrop from the mix, using the concentrate always in the group’s impeccable vocals. A number of the features of the period are infectious mid-tempo outings like “By and By,” “Packin’ Up,” “Slightly TALK TO Jesus,” and “EACH TIME PERSONALLY I THINK the Heart.” In the harder aspect are more psychological and stirring quantities like “I HAVE TO Inform Jesus,” “God I’ll Live,” as well as the chilling “The Bloodstream.” There is absolutely no question Zion Travelers had been more than with the capacity of carrying out their talk about of gospel “home wrecking.” The Dooto Down with the River LP contains “I Imagined a Town,” which reprised their prior Ebb documenting of “Gorgeous Town” and can be an similarly effective and shifting gospel ballad. Luckily for today’s listener, a fantastic Compact disc from Ace Information, Dootone Experts, showcases all Zion Travelers’ Dootone materials. A lot of the 25 monitors are extracted from the initial Dootone professional tapes you need to include two previously unreleased slashes. Zion Travelers have gone an excellent legacy of recordings that keep witness to the best degrees of quartet performing to become noticed during the fantastic age group of gospel.