The Gay Family Gospel Music Experience

In the 1950s and 60s, the Gay Sisters – vocalist Mildred, vocalist/pianist Evelyn, and pianist Geraldine – used their spirited singing and keyboard work to set the atmosphere for the brimstone – scorched imprecations of their younger brother Donald, then known as “The Boy Preacher.” Geraldine dubbed “The Errol Garner of Gospel,” is credited with pioneering the infusion of elements borrowed from jazz and R&B into modern-day gospel piano, much as Sister Rosetta Tharpe updated the guitar during more or less the same era. In 2004, the Chicago-based label The Sirens released In The Right Hands, which featured Geraldine, Jessy Dixon, and Nash Shaffer Jr., along with Donald and the Gays' nephew Gregory Gay Jr. That disc re-ignited interest in the Gays, and Geraldine and Donald – who hadn't recorded together since 1967 – have begun to perform more frequently in the wake of its success.

Geraldine's two-fisted dexterity is virtually undiminished; her brother's voice, though it may have lost some of its youthful fire, remains sure and deeply expressive. On this set, which consists primarily of well-known gospel standards, they sound relaxed and confident; they convey as much fervor with subtle nuance as others do with housewrecking emotionalism. And it's all delivered with an irrepressibly good-humored elan, aided by the easy-rolling swing of drummer Curtis Fondren and alternately, bassists Yosef Ben Israel and Anderson Edwards.

Traditionalists raised on sterner faith might raise their eyebrows at that hip swagger; this is about as far from fire and brimstone as gospel music can get. Eyes Have Not Seen, originally a solemn admonition to remain spiritually steadfast in the face of worldly disappointment, sounds here almost like a Depression-era “better days are coming” pop bauble; the Gays even recast the harrowing admonition There Is A Fountain (“there is a fountain filled with blood”) as a gently propulsive, almost lilting testimonial.

But theirs is a faith born of compassion and understanding, rather than judgement; it acknowledges this life as gracefully as it promises eternal blessings in the next. As such it provides a welcome corrective to the moralizing that too often passes for mainstream religious discourse these days. In its own low-key way, the return of the Gays as a gospel powerhouse is proving to be as historic and inspiring as the resurgence of Jody Williams was in the blues world a few years ago. - Living Blues

If you don't know about the Gay Family, you don't know gospel.

The Chicago-based Gays – Mildred, Evelyn, Geraldine, and Donald in particular – are products of the Church of God in Christ and have been on the frontline of gospel music for decades. The original Gay Sisters (Mildred, Geraldine and Evelyn) had a monster gospel hit in 1951 with “God Will Take Care of You.” They recorded enough singles for Savoy in 1951 to fill an album later in the decade. Evelyn even accompanied Mahalia Jackson on piano from time to time.

Far from being one-hit wonders, the Gays were sought after to participate on gospel programs in Chicago and throughout the country. They continued to record long after their Savoy sessions, delivering the goods for labels such as Decca, Chess, Rush, Faith, B & F, Davis, and Hummingbird. Donald “Preacher” grew up and joined the group in the late 1950s and 1960s, when it was known as the Gay Singers.

Since Evelyn and Mildred have passed on, Donald and Geraldine are the ones who represent the family on Soulful Sounds. And it isn't the first time The Sirens has featured the brother and sister duo. The Gays made their The Sirens debut on In the Right Hands, a Chicago gospel keyboard project that also featured Jessy Dixon and Nash Shaffer, Jr. Clearly, their talent warranted an entire project.

What will strike you while listening to Soulful Sounds is how tenuous are the marketing monikers that slice and dice music into categories. For example, on the opening track, “This May Be the Last Time,” Geraldine plays as if she were with a jazz combo, and Donald sounds like blues shouters Joe Williams and Jimmy Rushing. In reality, what we hear on Soulful Sounds is gospel as a youngster in the 1930s and 1940s, a time when some criticized gospel musicians for “jazzing the hymns.” Listen to some of Sallie Martin's late '40s recordings for Capitol and you'll hear the same kind of sophisticated jazz combo backing.

Also noteworthy is how Donald's distinctive voice hasn't changed with time. He sounds the same on this CD as he did on singles he and Evelyn recorded in the 1960s.

The song selection on Soulful Sounds is entirely old school, with classics such as “Eyes Have Not Seen,” “Tell The Angels,” “There is a Fountain,” and “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again.” Pay special attention to the strutting “Sing On My Singer,” included here as a tribute to Mahalia Jackson. Donald's vocals go with Geraldine's barrelhouse piano style like bacon and eggs. It's the finest cut on the CD.

The Gays are accompanied by Yosef Ben Israel, Gregory Gay (the next generation), Donald “Bozie” Hambric, Anderson Edwards, and Curtis Fondren, the latter who puts his Fellowship M.B. Church training to work by giving the Gays a pulsing backbeat when the music and the spirit dictate.

What a treat it is to hear great musicians from a legendary gospel family given The Sirens' trademark crystal clear production. It's as if you are sitting in a church, enjoying a Sunday afternoon musicale on Chicago's south side. - The Black Gospel Blog