Topic: Religious Singers Who Accompanied Themselves With Slide Guitar

[btasoundsradio]

blind willie mctell?s sacred material. muddy waters even did a couple for alan lomax and john work. skip james did not use slide on his sacred songs,

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Lil McClintock used a slide for "Sow Good Seeds".
All best,
Johnm

[roig]

Flora Molton. Love her!

[roig]

James "Guitar Slim" Stephens played His Blood Can Make Me Whole, and a couple of others, using a pocket knife, and Mance Lipscomb played a few songs the same way.

Son House played a GREAT "I Shall Not Be Moved" on his earliest post-rediscovery session.

Arvella Gray also did a few.

That's all for now

[oddenda]

Of those I recorded and issued: Frank Edwards
                                               Guitar Shorty (John Henry Fortescue)
                                               Henry Johnson [sometimes]
Of those I recorded and unissued: Baby Tate
                                                  Dink Roberts (on gtr)

Others did sacred material, but not with a slide. Possibly because I was interested in blues, some folks didn't do sacred stuff, but others did as part of their active repertoire. 20:20 hindsight.

pbl
                                               

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Bishop Perry Tillis fit this category.
All best,
Johnm

[jostber]

Rev. Utah Smith and Rev. Lonnie Farris were also great slide gospel players.

Some more artists who recorded religious pieces with slide guitar: Willie Mae Williams, Brother Blind Willie Easton, Rev. I.B.Ware, Julius Daniels.

[Lastfirstface]

Lonnie Farris played a lap steel, but I don't recall hearing Utah Smith playing slide. Lots of fast fingering up and down the neck in vastapol, but no slide.

[jostber]

That's right, thanks. A mix-up from my side, Utah Smith played only wild gospel guitar without the slide.

[alyoung]

You're not the only one to make the slip -- see Document DOCD-5222, which is recordings by Utah Smith and Lonnie Farris, and is titled Slide Guitar Gospel 1944-1964.

[Lastfirstface]

Someone must have pointed it out to the Document people because they re-titled it "Electric / Slide Guitar Gospel 1944-1964" at some point.