"spookily beautiful" -N.Y. Times
'Re-mastered from the original 78 RPM recordings and packaged with rare photos and detailed liner notes by experts John Bealle and Joyce Cauthen, Heaven’s My Home is nothing short of a real deal history lesson on this unique tradition.'
'Review: The 1927-1928 recordings by J.T. Allison's ensemble are rare instances of the convergence of two important cultural movements of the southeastern U.S.-the emerging country music recording industry and the tradition of singing religious folk music from shape-note tunebooks. The Allisons recorded music directly from "The Sacred Harp," compiled in Georgia in 1844, which used musical notes in 4 shapes, representing degrees of the musical scale, to aid in learning and reading religious music. The emphasis of this music is large public gatherings, where throngs of singers gather for an intense musical and spiritual experience-everyone comes to sing and there is no discernable audience. 21 songs, lightly accompanied, richly harmonic and sincerely sung by non-professional, but certainly competent, singers: "The Heavenly Port," "The Old Ship of Zion," "Sweet Rivers," "The Golden Harp," "Jewett," "Pisgah," "Sweet Prospect," "The Morning Trumpet," "Ester," "I'm A Long Time Traveling Away From Home," "I Belong to this Band," "Sweet Morning" and "Heaven's My Home." Although its use declined over the 19th century, we love "Home" and the other shape-note recordings we've heard. Rich history and photos in the extensive liner notes booklet.' -singers.com
'Allison's Sacred Harp Singers must have seemed as much an anomaly in 1927 and 1928 -- when they first recorded -- as they would be in 2004. The shape note singing on Heaven's My Home, after all, originated in 19th century churches. By the early 20th century, radio and records would broadcast more contemporary styles (the Grand Ole Opry first broadcast during the 1920s), making religious material with spare accompaniment seem slightly old-fashioned. But record companies, facing a slump, attempted to tap regional markets. This, surprisingly, included recording groups that drew their material from the shape note hymnbooks of yesteryear like The Sacred Harp (1844). After recording two apparently successful tracks for Gennett in Alabama (both tracks, "I'm a Long Time Traveling Away from Home" and "I Belong to This Band," are included), Allison's Sacred Harp Singers traveled to Richmond, IN, to record more material. Over the course of one day, May 1, 1928, the group recorded 30 songs, 19 of which are included on Heaven's My Home. While many contemporary listeners will find the four-note range -- fa-sol-la-fa-sol-la-mi-fa -- monotonous, these recordings offer a rare chance to hear versions of "Bound for Canaan," "Traveling Pilgrim," and the title track performed in the same manner as they would've been performed as far back as the early 1800s (save for the piano and organ accompaniment). The sound quality is excellent, and the liner notes by John Bealle and Joyce Cauthen are first-rate.' -Review by Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.
An amazing historical document
'A fascinating collection of extraordinarily rare old 78s made at the dawn of the country music industry. The religious tradition that the Allison's Singers were from is pretty far afield from the readily commercialized scene that other rural artists pursued, but as with many shape-note performers, the rawness and emotional immediacy of their work is quite striking. It's also such a distinctive sound! This is an American-born musical tradition that is truly like no other, and the County label has done a commendable job rescuing these old discs from the brink of obscurity. This stuff isn't for everyone, but folks who do like it will be thrilled to hear these songs. (Also check out the companion collection, "RELIGION IS A FORTUNE," which was released at the same time...)' -DJ Joe Sixpack
This is not a record for everybody, but it will be special for those who have long awaited a sizable well-presented sampling of the fascinating, archaic style known as Sacred Harp Singing and native to a very small area of North Georgia and Alabama. Allison's Sacred Harp Singers were the most prolific of the relatively few such groups that recorded in the late 1920s, and thanks to a few dedicated collectors like Alabaman Robert Nobley we have a chance to hear 21 of these amazing rare original recordings. The songs, taken from the old shape note hymnals of the 19th century are first lined out note by note, followed by the singing of the words. Some cuts are unaccompanied, some have piano, but most feature a pump-organ accompaniment, sometimes in a modal structure. N.Y. Times reviewer termed this music "spookily beautiful."
1. The Heavenly Port 2:46
2. Bound For Canaan 2:38
3. The Old Ship Of Zion 2:26
4. Exhilaration 3:05
5. Antioch 2:45
6. Sweet Rivers 3:12
7. Hallelujah 3:01
8. The Golden Harp 2:57
9. Traveling Pilgrim 2:36
10. Jewett 3:03
11. Pisgah 3:07
12. Sweet Prospect 2:28
13. Weeping Pilgrim 3:05
14. Sweet Canaan 3:04
15. Penick 2:52
16. The Morning Trumpet 2:38
17. Ester 2:25
18. I'm A Long Time Traveling Away From Home 2:56
19. I Belong To This Band 2:52
20. Sweet Morning 2:38
21. Heaven's My Home 2:50
Companies
County Records
Credits
Coordinator [Production Coordinator], Remastered By – Christopher C. King
Organ – John Praytor (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 8, 10, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21)
Piano – John Praytor (tracks: 5, 11, 12, 15)
Remastered By [Digital Remastering] – Robert Vosgien
Vocals – George T. Allison (tracks: 1 to 17, 20, 21), J. T. Vaughn (tracks: 1 to 17, 20, 21), James T. Allison (tracks: 1 to 17, 20, 21), John Praytor (tracks: 1 to 17, 20, 21), Tom Bradshaw (3) (tracks: 1 to 17, 20, 21)
Notes
Incl. Pdf (notes by John Bealle and Joyce Cauthen)
Tracks 18 and 19 recorded at Starr Piano Company, Birmingham, Alabama, circa August 10, 1927.
Tracks 1-17, 20 and 21 recorded at Gennett Records, Richmond, Indiana, circa May 1, 1928.
All tracks originally released by Gennett Records.
Vocal credits for tracks 18 and 19 are listed in the booklet as:
Possibly J. T. Vaughn
Possibly Tom Bradshaw
Possibly John Praytor
Possibly George T. Allison
Possibly James T. Allison
Possibly Liddie Allison
Original 78 RPM records from the collections of Robert Nobley, Rich Nevins, Dave Freeman, Frank Mare, Christopher King, and John Coffey.
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