Jubilee Gospel Team
The Jubilee Gospel Team were a black Gospel group active in the 1920's. The history of the Jubilee Team is shrouded in mystery, a trio, their individual names are unknown but they are believed to have been based in Virginia due to an analysis of their accents and an unreleased record recorded for Okeh Records in Norfolk, Virginia in 1929. The choice of material suggests they were members of the Original Church of God or Sanctified Church. They journeyed to New York in 1928 where they recorded at least seventeen sides for various record labels including twelve for QRS Records (along with a possible eight more unissued), four more for Paramount Records.
The Jubilee Team are notable for their use of a small pump organ, a rarely recorded instrument. The other members of the trio included a lead singer and rhythm guitar and occasional tambourine. Both musicians also sang backups. The only known photo of the group shows a trio but it's possible that another voice was added during the recordings, possibly Rev.B.J. Hill who they sang backup for on a single during the same sessions. Musically their songs are usually mid-tempo and repetitive with simple rhythms and call-and-response vocals. A couple of songs like "Dry Bones In The Valley" take the form of a faster and apparently improvised stream-of-consciousness rant. Most of their songs are based on reworkings of traditional hymns such as and more contemporary gospel songs including "Let Jesus Lead You" (recorded Skip James and Sam Collins), "The Gospel Train Is Coming" (recorded by Rev.Clayborn), "I Have Crossed The Separating Line" (recorded by Blind Joe Taggart) and portions of "Black Diamond Express To Hell" (recorded by Rev. A.W. Nix). Instrumentally the Jubilee team is rather limited, using a few simple organ riffs repeated with little variation and basic strummed guitar chords, giving most of their records an identical sound. They do however have strong vocals with a distinct lead singer.
As part of the same 1928 sessions they also sang backup vocals on a single by Rev. B.J. Hill, this single is acapella with no instrumental backing.
After their 1928 sessions they returned to Virginia where they recorded an unreleased single. Then they journeyed back to New York for to record another twenty for Perfect Records of which only one was released, the rest have since been lost including a two part version of "The Sinking Of The Titanic". Their subsequent lives and activities are completely unknown.
Their known surviving recordings are available on Document Records, the cover of which includes the only known photograph of the band.
Refrences[edit]
- "The Jubilee Gospel Team", liner notes by Chris Smith, Document Records, 1997
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