Good News 100 Gospel Greats (2002)

The Proper label quickly joined JSP as one of the most valuable import labels in existence, reissuing stacks of important sides in the form of low-cost, high-value box sets. Its focus didn't dwell on artists either, giving space to important overviews of instruments (guitar for Hittin' on All Six, drums for The Engine Room) and styles (Bebop Spoken Here, Doughboys, Playboys & Cowboys: The Golden Years of Western Swing). Given that track record, it's no surprise to find Good News: 100 Gospel Greats, its gospel survey, an excellent summation of the genre, superior in its compilation, sound, and liner-note commentary to nearly any other set. Over the course of its (roughly chronological) four discs and 100 tracks, Good News tells the story of black gospel from the '20s to the '50s, usually with five to six important sides each from the biggest artists. Organized by disc, the set begins with the earliest recorded jubilee quartets (the Famous Blue Jay Singers, Selah Jubilee Singers), continues with the first flower of quartet singing (the Golden Gate Quartet, the Charioteers, the Dixie Hummingbirds), issues on the third disc important gospel soloists (Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, Dorothy Love Coates), and closes with the late peak of gospel quartets (the Soul Stirrers, Pilgrim Travelers, and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama and Mississippi). One small caveat: Good News does tend to include many sides from important artists, making it less appealing to those who've already built a sizeable collection.

Everytime I feel the Spirit

01. Birmingham Jubilee Singers - He Took My Sins Away
02. Norfolk Jubilee Quartet - Wonder Where Is the Gambling Man
03. Norfolk Jubilee Quartet - Didn't It Rain
04. Bryant's Jubilee Quartet - Everytime I Feel the Spirit
05. Silver Leaf Quartet - Will the Circle Be Unbroken
06. Dunham Jubilee Singers - I Dreamed of the Judgment Morning
07. Famous Blue Jay Singers - Clanka-A-Lanka
08. Famous Blue Jay Singers - I'm Leaning on the Lord
09. Famous Blue Jay Singers - Brother Jonah
10. Famous Blue Jay Singers - I'm Bound for Canaan Land
11. Mitchell's Christian Singers - Them Bones
12. Mitchell's Christian Singers - I'm Praying Humble
13. Mitchell's Christian Singers - Take My Hand (Precious Lord)
14. Heavenly Gospel Singers - Lead Me to the Rock
15. Heavenly Gospel Singers - Walk in the Light
16. Heavenly Gospel Singers - When the Gate Swings Open
17. Heavenly Gospel Singers - Cheer the Weary Traveler
18. Heavenly Gospel Singers - My Lord is Writing All the Time
19. Alphabetical Four - Have You Heard About the World
20. Selah Jubilee Singers - I Saw the Light
21. Selah Jubilee Singers - He Knows Just How Much We Can Bear
22. Joshua White and his Carolinians - King Jesus Knows I'm Coming
23. Kings of Harmony - Lord Give Me Wings
24. Stars of Harmony - Rough and Rocky Road
25. Stars of Harmony - Where Shall I Be



Made in the Water
01. Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - Golden Gate Gospel Train
02. Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - Gabriel Blows His Horn
03. Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - John the Revelator
04. Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - Rock My Soul
05. Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - Every Time That I Feel the Spirit
06. Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - Noah
07. Golden Gate Quartet - Didn't It Rain
08. The Charioteers - Jesus is a Rock in the Weary Land
09. The Charioteers - Don't Rock the Boat
10. The Charioteers - Wade in the Water
11. The Charioteers - Walk Together Children
12. The Charioteers - I'm Bound for the Promised Land
13. The Charioteers - Jubilee
14. The Trumpeteers - Milky White Way
15. The Trumpeteers - Babylon's Fallen
16. The Trumpeteers - Gideon and the Sword
17. The Dixieaires - Buckle My Shoe
18. The Dixieaires - Time's Winding Up
19. The Dixieaires - Friends, Let Me Tell You About Jesus
20. The Dixie Hummingbirds - The Book of the Seven Seas
21. The Dixie Hummingbirds - Every Knee Surely Must Bow
22. The Dixie Hummingbirds - Amazing Grace
23. The Dixie Hummingbirds - Don't you Want to Join That Number
24. The Dixie Hummingbirds - Just A Closer Walk With Thee
25. The Dixie Hummingbirds - Ezekiel Saw the Wheel


Get away Jordan

01. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Rock Me
02. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - That's All
03. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Precious Lord Hold My Hand
04. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Strange Things Happen Every Day
05. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - This Train
06. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Up Above My Head I Hear Music In the Air
07. Mahalia Jackson - What Could I Do
08. Mahalia Jackson - Move on up a Little Higher pt 1
09. Mahalia Jackson - Move on up a Little Higher pt 2
10. Mahalia Jackson - Dig a Little Deeper
11. Mahalia Jackson - Get Away Jordan
12. Mahalia Jackson - Just Over the Hill pt 1
13. Mahalia Jackson - Just Over the Hill pt 2
14. Mahalia Jackson - The Lord's Prayer
15. Sister Ernestine Washington - My Record Will Be There
16. Sister Ernestine Washington - The Lord Will Make a Way Somehow
17. Sister Ernestine Washington - God's Amazing Grace
18. Sister Ernestine Washington - I'm Gonna Live the Life I Sing About
19. Sister Ernestine Washington - We Will Walk Through the Valley
20. Sister Ernestine Washington - Each Day
21. Original Gospel Harmonettes - Everyday Will Be a Sunday
22. Original Gospel Harmonettes - I'm Sealed
23. Original Gospel Harmonettes - Just to Behold His Face
24. Original Gospel Harmonettes - When I Reach My Heavenly Home
25. Original Gospel Harmonettes - Get Away Jordan



Glory Glory Hallelujah

01. The Soul Stirrers - I Want to Rest
02. The Soul Stirrers - This is My Prayer
03. The Soul Stirrers - Jesus Prays for You and Me
04. The Soul Stirrers - Glory Glory Hallelujah
05. The Soul Stirrers - Does Jesus Care
06. The Soul Stirrers - Peace in the Valley
07. The Pilgrim Travelers - I'm Standing on the Highway
08. The Pilgrim Travelers - The Old Rugged Cross
09. The Pilgrim Travelers - Mother Bowed
10. The Pilgrim Travelers - Jesus Met the Woman at the Well
11. The Pilgrim Travelers - God Shall Wipe All Tears Away
12. The Pilgrim Travelers - Satisfied With Jesus
13. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - I Want My Crown
14. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - I've an Interest Over There
15. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Living on Mother's Prayer
16. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Honey in the Rock
17. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Anyhow
18. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Canaan Land
19. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Jesus Travelled This Road Before
20. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Must Be A God Somewhere
21. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Something Within Me
22. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Jesus Gave Me Water
23. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - In the Wilderness
24. The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - In This World Alone
25. Brother Joe May - Search Me Lord