Southern Gospel Music

I recently came across some song books that has a lot of good songs. I made copies for myself for when we have a good old family get together. My nephew plays the guitar and we all sing while he plays. I was wondering if any one watches the Gaither videos on TV. There is a song that David Phelps tenor singer with the Gaither group sings that I remember hearing when I was a young kid and went to those all day singings on Sunday with dinner served between church and the beginning of the singing. The name of the song is THE LIFE BOAT. On the video Eva Mae Lefeaver(spelling?) starts the song with

We're floating down the stream of time,
we have not long to stay;
The stormy clouds of darkness Will turn to brightest day.
Then let us all take courage, For we're not left alone
The life boat soon is coming To gather the Jewels home.

And then Dvid sings the rest of the song as only he can.
My favorite verse is
The lifeboat soon is coming, By the eye of faith I see
As she sweeps thru the waters To rescue you and me
And land us safely in the port With friends we love so dear,
Get ready cries the Captain; O look she's almost here.

I thought about scanning and posting the song with the music and will if any one wants it. My wife came across these old song books at work and borrowed them for me to copy. Some of the other songs are
LOOKING FOR A CITY
I'LL MEET YOU IN THE MORNING
I CAN TELL YOU THE TIME
LORD LEAD ME ON
STANDING ON HOLY GROUND
HIDE ME ROCK OF AGES
VICTORY IN JESUS
I'LL HAVE A NEW LIFE
WHEN GOD DIPS HIS LOVE IN MY HEART
EVERYBODY WILL BE HAPPY OVER THERE
WHISPERING HOPE
WHERE THE SOUL NEVER DIES
I'M WINGING MY WAY BACK HOME
I WON'T HAVE TO CROSS JORDAN ALONE
THE ROYAL TELEPHONE
KNEEL AT THE CROSS
THE OLD GOSPEL SHIP

I also have words but not music to
SUPPER TIME
PLEASE DON'T TELL DADDY
THE FAMILY BIBLE
FARTHER ALONG

Any one interested let me know. Jim
Sound like a commercial on the radio.Send your$19.99 TODAY FOR THESE GREAT SONGS .POSTAGE INCLUDED. LOL

Jim, you've hit a subject very close to my heart...music. It's my first true love. I play and teach piano/organ music..mostly classical. But my first love is the old, old gospel music. And yes, I listen and watch the Gaither videos. Lately my favorite has been Let Freedom Ring. I can't help but weep practically every time I hear it. I spend alot of time in my car. I'm one of those people that sing as I'm driving....Oh yes, people laugh...but I don't care. I may sound old here but...I remember singing choruses while Mom played for Sunday School..I remember when church lasted more than one hour...I remember when.....

We kept a songbook in our car and we would all sing as we went on a trip. That was before those little electronic games that keep kids occupied were invented. We sang a lot of the songs on your list. Great faith builders!

Sledder...come to church with me. Mine still lasts over an hour....LOL. I love it too. I dont want fast food type churches...I want a 5 course meal. Wed nights we get the fast service...its about an hour and fifteen minutes. Only problem is Im way down here in Texas. I went to one church visiting...they said we arent going by the watch on when to stop. We are gonna stop when the Holy Spirit TELLS us to stop. Their service might last an hour and a half, or it may last 3 hours...I liked that! But, dont forget your breakfast before you go there!!! EEK.

I have several of the old hymnals, and just love to find them at sales. My mother was the lucky recipient of hundreds of religious books when one of her church friends died, and they alone fill about 7 large bookcases. I have asked for all the song books, and might get all or most of them, as no one else has indicated any interest and Mama needs to clear out some of them. The weight of all her books caused her double wide to separate at the peak of the roof! (I live in a rock house and tell her she shouldn't have built on sand, which she actually did.) Lost somewhere in the mail system are the two latest she gave me, for my birthday in October. One of my favorite songs to sing when I garden is "In The Garden", and some of my favorite recorded gospel group music is The Statesman Quartet. From toddler age, I remember hearing and singing "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" and "Mother's Not Dead, She's Only Asleeping". They would make me sad, but I still loved hearing them. And I especially like some of the ones above, too. Add "Rock of Ages", "At the Cross", "Bringing In The Sheaves". When I was small, Mama would make me sing for the congregation, and two I sang was "Who's That A Calling" and "What A Friend". But I wasn't trained, just didn't know how to say no. I can still smell the talc all the old ladies had on when they insisted on hugging me afterward, and it always left me with a huge headache. No one knew about allergies where I lived. BTW, we always called that gathering "all day dinner and singing on the ground" because someone made that mistake once and it stuck.

Hey Kelly; I'm on my way. Oh by the way,, I play piano so I'll bring all my old and new hymnals and we'll praise Him the whole trip!! Woohoo!! Bring it on!!

Thats what we called it also. I don't believe I know "Who's That a calling". If I did I have forgotten. Sledder if only you lived close by you would have a new old pupil.LOL I have always wanted to play the piano. My mother played by ear and I had cousins that played all type of musical instruments and never had a lesson. When we gather at the family singings we always talk about how my mother could play the piano and it wasn't just church songs, anything she heard she could play. Timing and all was there. When I was growing up we had a piano that was called a self player. You put in a roll of music and the roll was made of thick paper and had cut out holes in it in a pattern fashion. As you peddled the piano it would play the song on the roll. I wish I had that now. I probable could sell it and have enough money to take piano lessons. I tried learning but no go.

Jim, a man in Austin restores and collects those old player pianos as a hobby. He has his house full of them and more in a rented building. I was given one at a yard sale because no one wanted it and the young woman wanted the space in her den for the kids. But an insect of some kind had taken up residence in the wood, something from Mexico, and it would eventually have spread to everything in my house, so I got rid of it. It did need work. I donated it to a charitable outfit and told them to get an exterminator on it before they sold it. My daddy's family was the ones who could play anything they picked up, and Daddy's daddy made fiddles and banjos as a hobby. Mama's was tone deaf. I have a special talent for tapping my foot and shaking my buns in time to the music, the only way the family talents show in me. But I did write a few songs along the way. Can't write down the music, but I can belt it out. Not gospel, though.

I've taught for years and I love it. I'm a bit of a perfectionist though. There was some sort of a study done recently and research showed that kids who took private music lessons do better in school. DUH,,I knew that a long time ago. It's not a matter of whether they can play or not...it's the discipline of practicing..it's the discipline of responsibility..it's just pure, plain discipline...sorry about the soapbox. But that's not saying piano is for everyone. It isn't. In my family you either sang, played, or got out of the way. We all played,,,we all sang,,,all in church. And looking back? I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. And Aimee, Make a joyfull noise!! It doesn't have to be on key!! "T" :)