NRR Project: 'Jesus Gave Me Water' (1950)

 

NRR Project: “Jesus Gave Me Water”

Written by Lucie E. Campbell

Performed by the Soul Stirrers

Recorded 1950

2:50

The Soul Stirrers were a venerable gospel quintet, but what really set them on fire was the contribution of the 19-year-old Sam Cooke.

The group was founded in 1926 in Texas. Soon member R.H. Harris took over the leadership of the group, and it prospered over the ensuing decades. Harris quit the group in 1950, citing bad business practices and immoral behavior. To replace him, the group first hired Paul Foster, and then youngster Sam Cooke.

Cooke had been singing gospel music from the age of 6. He joined the Highway Q.C.’s when he was 14. In 1950, he was hired on with the Soul Stirrers. The success of “Jesus Gave Me Water” made the group superstars in the gospel genre. Cooke’s rich tenor voice and dynamic phrasing energized the material, making it irresistible. Cooke sang with the group until 1956, when he embarked on a meteoric solo career that ended with his premature death in 1964.

Cooke’s elaborate vocalizations, grasp of dramatic delivery, and sheer charisma resulted in him being considered the “Father of Soul.”

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next time: Mambo No. 5.