“Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around”
Traditional
Performed by the Fairfield Four
Recorded 1947
2:25
Wow. Another great group I would not have heard from save for this survey.
First, you must read Opal Louis Nations’ essay on this group at the National Recording Registry. It gives a specific and detailed history of the quartet from its beginnings in 1921 down to the present day.
The Fairfield Four represent a tradition of gospel music that is sung a capella. This unique genre can be said to have originated in 1871 with the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who first set Christian spiritual songs in multiple-part harmony, codifying a tradition that would move into Black churches everywhere across the country in the ensuing decades.
The music derived from popular hymns, termed spirituals. Gospel tunes were different: urgent, fast-paced, emotionally intense – possessed of a frantic, joyous spirit meant to infuse the listeners with a religious experience. It is song as worship. Vocal facility was encouraged; the expression was heard as an offering to God; the more beautiful, the better. Soon, expert ensembles would perform every Sunday – and then, gradually, in other contexts.
The Fairfield Four (who were five sometimes) was one of many groups who came up through exposure on the radio; this vital outlet spread their name across the country. This recording contains the amazing long-held notes of lead tenor Samuel McCrary. Here, the group chugs through the number, clearly elucidating their complex harmonies as they testify on behalf of their faith.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Louis Kaufman performs Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
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