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Timeline of Wiregrass African American Sacred Harp Recordings
William H. Tallmadge was not the first outside scholar to document and record the African American Sacred Harp singing tradition in southeast Alabama, but he was among the earliest. The Tallmadge documentation falls into a line of work by other noted scholars.
- September 1938 - John W. Work IIISeptember 1938 recordings of African American Sacred Harp singers made by John Wesley Work III in Ozark, AL. (Library of Congress Digital Collection - "Now What a Time: Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938 to 1943.")
- 1950 - Jackson & Lawrence Quartet RecorDisc sessionJudge Jackson's coin-operated RecorDisc session. Made in Dothan, AL. Tracks 2 & 3 on CD Judge Jackson and the Colored Sacred Harp by Joe Dan Boyd. (Berea College Hutchins Library Catalog)
- 1964-1965 - Ralph RinzlerRecordings made by Ralph Rinzler while director of field research for the Newport Folk Festival. A group of white Sacred Harp singers from Northern Alabama performed at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. (Smithsonian Archives, Manuscripts, and Photographs Catalog record)
- May - June 1968 - William H. TallmadgeInterviews, church services, broadcasts, and Sacred Harp sings recorded by William H. Tallmadge in Ozark and Dothan, AL.(Berea Sound Archives)
- September 1968 - WOZK radio programWOZK radio program recorded by Joe Dan Boyd on September 29, 1968, Ozark, AL. Featured on track 7 of CD "Judge Jackson and the Colored Sacred Harp" by Joe Dan Boyd. (Berea College Hutchins Library Catalog)
- April 1969 - Jackson Memorial SingJudge Jackson Memorial Singing, Union Grove Baptist Church, Ozark, AL. Featured on tracks 8-16 of CD "Judge Jackson and the Colored Sacred Harp" by Joe Dan Boyd. (Berea College Hutchins Library Catalog)
- July 1970 - Smithsonian Folklife FestivalThe Wiregrass Singers, organized by Dewey Williams, perform at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, DC. (Smithsonial Folklife Festival Documentation Collection: 1970 Festival of American Folklife Finding Aid PDF)
- 1972 - Jackson Memorial Sing & Dothan Singing SchoolJoe Dan Boyd records the April 16, 1972 Judge Jackson Memorial Sing in Ozark, AL. Featured on CD tracks 17-23. Doris Dyen records an African American Sacred Harp singing school in Dothan, AL on August 4, 1972. Featured on CD tracks 24, 25, & 26. (Berea College Hutchins Library Catalog)
- 1979- Berea College Rural Hymnody SymposiumThe Wiregrass Singers perform at the Berea College Symposium on Rural Hymnody. (Berea College Sound Archives)
- 1980-82 - Wiregrass Notes LPFirst commercial recording of African American Sacred Harp singing. Recorded at the Alabama and Florida Union Singing Convention, Greater Old Salem Baptist Church, Dale County, AL. 1980. (Berea College Hutchins Library Catalog)
- 1990 - Amazing Grace with Bill MoyersHighly acclaimed PBS documentary features Dewey Williams at Sacred Harp singing for his 91st birthday .(Berea College Hutchins Library Catalog)
- 1993 - The Colored Sacred Harp: Wiregrass Sacred Harp SingersRecorded at Union Grove Baptist Church, Ozark, AL. Notes by Barbara Hampton. (New World Records website)
- 1997 - Desire for Piety: Songs from the B.F. White Sacred HarpAlso recorded 1993 at Union Grove Baptist Church, Ozark, AL. Notes by Henry Willett. (New World Records website)
Interview Excerpts
Dewey Williams talks about singing Sacred Harp music in southeast Alabama, and his association with Judge Jackson, author of The Colored Sacred Harp.
Recorded by William H. Tallmadge in Williams' Ozark, AL home.
WT-OR-155-003-01.1
Dewey Williams talks about getting white community sponsorship for his African American Sacred Harp radio and TV programs.
Recorded by William H. Tallmadge in Williams' Ozark, AL home.
WT-OR-155-003-01.2
Brother J.J. Humphrey talks about members of the white community attending annual African American Sacred Harp sings.
Recorded by William H. Tallmadge in Humphrey's Dothan, AL home.
WT-OR-155-005-02
Interview excerpts from the William H. Tallmadge Baptist Hymnody Collection, SAA 33. Click HERE for more interview material.
Williams Family singing from The Sacred Harp, Cooper Revision
The Dewey Williams family singing hymns from The Sacred Harp, Cooper Revision in their Ozark, Alabama home. Recorded May 31, 1968. WT-OR-155-003 in the William H. Tallmadge Baptist Hymnody Collection, SAA 33.
Jesus Is Willing (Cooper Book 81) - WT-OR-155-003-03
Praise The Lord (Cooper Book 537) - WT-OR-155-007-13
Pray, Brethren, Pray (Cooper Book 467) - WT-OR-155-003-09
Singing from The Colored Sacred Harp, WOZK AM 900, Ozark AL
In 1955 a regular radio broadcast of Sacred Harp singing was started on WOZK (900 AM) in Ozark, Alabama by Judge Jackson, his son Japeth, and Dewey Williams. At least part of each broadcast was dedicated to Judge Jackson and his musical legacy. These recordings were made by William Tallmadge in the WOZK studio during a June 2, 1968 broadcast. WT-OR-155-003 in the William H. Tallmadge Baptist Hymnody Collection, SAA 33.
Rejoice And Sing (CSH 9) - WT-OR-155-008-08
He Leads Me (CSH 20) - WT-OR-155-008-04
My Mother's Gone (CSH 19) - WT-OR-155-008-05
Wiregrass Sacred Harp Singers at 1979 Berea College Rural Hymnody Symposium
The Wiregrass Sacred Harp Singers, led by Dewey Williams, performed at the Berea College Rural Hymnody Symposium in April 1979. Doris Dyen also presented a paper on African American Sacred Harp singing at the symposium. AC-OR-066-003 in the Rural Hymnody Symposium Collection, RG 11.02.
Ninety-Fifth Psalm (Cooper Book 36b) - AC-OR-066-003-02
Lord, Revive Us (Cooper Book 59) - AC-OR-066-003-03
How Long, Dear Saviour (Cooper Book 155) - AC-OR-066-003-05
