Journey with The Sojourners

Although it hearkens back to the sounds of the 30's and 40's, Hold On is the just released debut recording from The Sojourners, a Vancouver based gospel trio. The vocal group's roots find their way back to the very roots of Gospel music with the likes of the sweet soulful harmonies of The Swan Silvertones, The Pilgrim Travellers, and The Soul Stirrers.

For those of you not familiar with the history of Gospel music in America, the quartet was the reigning power during this period. Bands such as the above mentioned mixed traditional songs, songs written by men such as Thomas A. Dorsey (the "Father of Gospel Music" - The Sojourners' cover his songs Old Ship of Zion and Walking Up the King's Highway on the album), and some of their own material. Their songs started working their way into households throughout the country until eventually Sam Cooke became a national icon (really the first crossover star that appealed to young and old, black and white alike) and brought the Soul Stirrers into the national limelight with his blend of Gospel, R & B, and pop, which would later become known as soul. Not only did Sam become a national singing star, he was also one of the first modern black musicians to take charge of their own material by forming his own recording company.

Coming back to present day, The Sojourners have resurrected this classic sound and recorded eleven tracks of soul saving music. Some of the songs are songs written by them , the others are classic songs from that golden period (such as Children Go Where I Send Thee and Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb, a song that many of the great quartets played). As the album progresses, you'll notice some tints of the Motown sound in the later tracks as well. Do your soul a favor, listen to the following, and then order the album


The Sojourners - Children Go Where I Send Thee : Hold On

The Sojourners - Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb : Hold On

Visit their label Black Hen Music and become their friend on MySpace.

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More Soul Saving Music

Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers - Jesus, I'll Never Forget : Specialty Profiles: Sam Cooke

The Pilgrim Travelers - Please Watch Over Me : Better Than That

The Swan Silvertones - I Done Made Up My Mind : The Swan Silvertones 1946-1951