Sacred Soul of NC transcription
THE SACRED SOUL OF NORTH CAROLINA
Transcription edited by Beverly Patterson
The film opens with images of rural Eastern North Carolina accompanied by a voice singing the following:
♪ I don't feel no way down, lord ♪
♪ I come too far from where I started from ♪
♪ Nobody told me the road was going be this long ♪
♪ Lord, I don't believe ♪
♪ You brought me this far to leave me ♪
♪ I don't feel no way tired ♪
♪ Nobody told me the road to church was gonna be easy ♪
TIMOTHY DUFFY: My name is Timothy Duffy. I'm the founder and director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Sacred Soul Music is what this project is about. It's about Eastern Carolina gospel music. When I met these musicians and heard all their music and started playing it for record companies in the south and booking agents in Europe, they were blown away by this music. It was very unique.
02:09
TONEY JOHNSON: I think it's very important to document all these groups from this area, because one thing, we are singing about one God, but we're all from a different background. And when you hear a different testimony out of each group, where they--how they were formed-- and how they were each created, it's very mind blowing. My name is Toney Johnson. I'm the manager of the Johnsonaires. We're an all brother band of Greenville, North Carolina.
♪ Lord, I'm trying ♪
♪ But you're picking on me ♪
♪ Lord, I'm trying. But you're picking on me. ♪
♪ You don't wanna go ♪
♪ Then please don't live with me ♪
♪ Trying, but you're picking on me too. ♪
TONEY JOHNSON: Whenever I'm feeling bad. And when I start saying the word Jesus, it seems like everything just ease. He's like a--he's better than Aleve, Advil, or Bayer.
♪ You don't wanna go then please don't hinder me ♪
♪ Trying, but you're picking on me too ♪
♪ Listen, Lord I'm sometimes up, ♪
♪ Then I'm sometimes down. ♪
♪ Then I'm almost level, I get leveled onto the ground. ♪
♪ But the Lord, he picks me up, and he lets me stand. ♪
♪ Whenever I fall, I want you to take my hand. ♪
TONEY JOHNSON: Any foundation for any music—jazz, classical music, opera—is rooted back to gospel. It's always rooted to gospel. Do your homework on it, it's rooted back to gospel.
♪ Then please don't hinder me ♪
♪ Trying, but you're picking on me. ♪
♪ Sometimes my way, it gets so dark. ♪
♪ But I'm gonna keep on putting my trust in God. ♪
♪ I know the Lord’s my shepherd, and he's my God. ♪
03:56
BRUCE WATSON: Music Maker reached out to Alice Vines and said, Hey this is what we want to do. And then she put, you know, Music Maker in touch with all the different artists
ALICE VINES: He asked me, you know, could I find some groups? So, you know, you know, I'm gonna say, yeah. So, you know, we sing gospel and we love what we do. We do it because it's a gift. We do it because we love God and we do it because we love people.
♪ If you don't wanna go, ♪
♪ Come on, don’t hinder me ♪
♪ If you don't wanna go, ♪
♪ Come on, don't hinder me ♪
♪ If you don't wanna go, ♪
♪ Come on, don't hinder me ♪
♪ If you don't wanna go, ♪
♪ Come on, don't hinder me ♪
♪ If you don't wanna go, ♪
♪ Come on, don't hinder me ♪
♪ If you don't want to go, ♪
♪ Come on, don't hinder me ♪
♪ If you don't want to go, ♪
♪ Come on, don't hinder me ♪
♪ If you don't want to go, ♪
♪ Come on, well ♪
♪ Come on, come on, come on, come on ♪
♪ Come on, come on ♪
♪ Right now, come on, right now, come on ♪
♪ Anybody out there, anybody want to go with me? ♪
♪ Anybody out there, anybody want to go with me? ♪
♪ Let's go, oh God. ♪
♪ Let's go, oh God. ♪
♪ Let's go, oh God. ♪
♪ Let's go to the Jordan stream. ♪
TONEY JOHNSON: Here at Eastern North Carolina, we have a lot of great talents, I call it hidden talents. I’m always saying there's, there's a lot of, there's a lot of Kobe Bryants, there's a lot of Michael Jordans in your own backyard, but they haven't been discovered yet.
05:52
KEAMBER DANIELS: I'm KeAmber. I sing with Faith and Harmony. We've been singing together basically all our lives.
I think mainstream American music, a lot of it has stemmed from the church. A lot of the popular artists that are out now, they grew up in church. And so when something is ingrained in you, it's hard to depart from it. So you might be singing different words to it, but at the, at the end of the day, it's all the same music most of the time. Just different words.
♪ We will work, we will work ♪
CHRISTY MOODY: My name is Christie Moody. I go by—everybody in my family that knows me, calls me Cree. I sing with Faith and Harmony. For me, that energy comes from wanting to touch somebody for--if they're going through something and wanting them to want to feel better. Like you never know what people are going through. And you can't always tell with, you know, how they're, how they present themselves. So that energy comes from wanting to touch somebody and say, you know what those, the words of those, that song was correct. Like, it's gonna, I feel better. It's gonna get better. There's gonna, I'm gonna see better days. There's gonna be better times for me. So wanting to touch people,
♪ We will work. ♪
♪ Oh Lord. Oh God almighty. ♪
♪ Until Jesus comes ♪
KEAMBER DANIELS: I think this project is so important and so special because it's giving these people who wouldn't normally get the opportunity to be able to record, like, to put them in the path with the right people. This is an experience. I've done it before, but it's other people that's been singing way longer than I have. And they get to experience it. Something they love doing and maybe it's a dream they've been chasing all their life and they finally, you know, get to experience it and get to do something. Be heard. It's good to be heard. I'm a crybaby, all the time.
ALICE VINES singing:
♪ Tell it all. Tell it all to Jesus. ♪
♪ Come on and tell it all. Tell it all to Jesus. ♪
♪ Come on and tell it all. Tell it all to Jesus. ♪
♪ He's gonna make everything all right ♪
♪ Well, well, well, well it's all right. ♪
ALICE VINES: All the music is really good. It's reach your soul. You know, we sing songs to help people. We want to--people to hear--you know, what we are saying about God. You know, it would be useless to sing gospel and then nobody didn't--it didn't touch nobody. So we like music that's going to touch the soul.
♪ Well, well, well, well it's all right ♪
♪ And it's all right ♪
♪ He'll make it all right ♪
♪ He'll make it all right ♪
♪ And early in the morning ♪
♪ Late in the midnight hour ♪
♪ He'll make it all right ♪
BISHOP ALBERT HARRISON: You believe from the old landmark like, go back song like.
♪ And it’s real, just to know ♪
♪ One day we'll meet. ♪
10:19
BISHOP ALBERT HARRISON We're giving a message to the people, saying if you serve the Lord, you praise Him up, your blessing will come down. I'm not saying all the singing--I love all singing-- but when you're singing from your heart, you've got to come from the old Jubilee style. I'm Bishop Albert Harrison from Manson, North Carolina. You know, I'm a man of God, but I'm the leader of the Bishop Albert Harrison and the Gospel Tones. And where the Lord send me, I go. That's the way I feel about it. But see that Jubilee singing is what I call it. We sing songs-- we sing from our heart, but we come way down from below. And because every song that we sing, we are trying to put a message through to the next person. We're sending our signal like a telephone on the high tower. We got the Lord signaling us--a voice--our way to go. Because we were down here. He picked us up out of model clay and gave us a place to stay. So we are delivering God's words through song.
♪ Lord shake me, wake me Lord. ♪
♪ Don't let me sleep too late. ♪
♪ Lord, shake me Lord, wake me Lord. ♪
♪ Don't let me sleep too late. Hey, Hey, ♪
♪ I met my sister one morning. ♪
♪ She was trying to get to heaven in due time, ♪
♪ 'Fore the heaven doors close. ♪
♪ But she said, shake me Lord. Wake me Lord. ♪
♪ Don't let me sleep too late. ♪
♪ Met my sister one morning ♪
♪ Trying to get to heaven in due time ♪
♪ 'Fore the heaven doors close. ♪
BISHOP ALBERT HARRISON: We all come back from a long way. And we all come up on a farm and our mother, father, and grandfather always used to sing. And, and it's something we love to do, and it's another way of getting the words through. And my preaching, I love to preach, but I love to sing gospel because the gospel singing can get in people houses that, that they don't come to church and hear you.
♪ Lord! Shake me, wake me ♪
♪ Shake me, wake me ♪ ♪ Please Jesus, ♪
♪ Please Jesus ♪
♪ Shake me, wake me ♪
♪ Please Jesus I need you. I need you. ♪
♪ Shake me, wake me. Shake me, wake me ♪
♪ Shake me ♪
♪ Wake me ♪
♪ Shake me, wake me. ♪
BISHOP ALBERT HARRISON: Well, it's a blessing anytime that your work be accepted in a foundation like y'all have here. It's an opportunity that some people don't never get. And it ain't nothing but the blessing of the Lord here guiding us and leading us in the right direction. All we gotta do is stay humbling down and do just what the Lord tell us to do. Serve the Lord, love one another.
ALICE VINES: And when God give you favor, you have favor with him. And then you have favor with people. So when you sing, it's just not only you, but it'll touch them too.
♪ I won't let nothing ♪
13:43
ANTHONY DANIELS: My name is Anthony Daniels. Everybody calls me, Ant.
♪ Lord, lord, lord, turn me around. ♪
ANTHONY DANIELS: Hello. We're the “Dedicated Men of Zion.” We were formed probably in 2014.
♪ See, I don't know about you right now, ♪
♪ but every time I sing this song right here, ♪
♪ Something gets all over me. ♪
♪ Yes it does. Right now ♪
♪ I have to let the whole world know about it. Yes I do. ♪
♪ Have you ever been married? ♪
♪ Have you ever been lonely? ♪
♪ But still the gates are waiting, Lord have mercy ♪
♪ you won't have to worry about it, no, no. ♪
♪ We're going to say it again, just one more time. ♪
ANTHONY DANIELS: As far as, you know, saying how to-- you know, the music of the church It's like, it's just, it's almost like a sandwich, man. You gotta have two pieces of bread to have a sandwich, you know, sandwich man. You know? But it's like the singing and the, and the church is just like, it go together. Every church--I've been in all kinds of churches, man-- it's always singing there. I think it's just—it's just a part of it.
♪ See, I love this part of the song right here. ♪
♪ Every time I sing these words right here, ♪
♪ I have to sail away, in my seat, because yes I do. ♪
♪ Fellas, will you help me right now? ♪
♪ Great God almighty. ♪
ANTHONY DANIELS: How it's, how, how it grew is just kinda like a tree man, you know, come from the same root, you know—religious music, gospel music, soulful music—you know, the different titles. But still, it's, it's like how it, you know, it's like-- To me, I look at it like a tree, you know, the roots is where it all came from.
♪ You can't make me know now, you can't make me know now. ♪
♪ Can't turn around. Can't turn around. ♪
♪ Just can't make me, no, no, no, no ♪
♪ Can't turn around ♪
♪ You can't make me, no, no, no, no ♪
♪ Can't turn around ♪
ANTHONY DANIELS: You know, East North Carolina, it's just, it's just, man, it's a musical, musical area. When I think about it, man, it's overwhelming to think about all of the different talent that come from the East North Carolina, you know, and just grow out.
It's spectacular, spectacular and ridiculous at the same time. You know what I mean?
16:42
BIG JAMES BARRETT We're “Big James Barrett and the Golden Jubilees.” How many need the Lord to use you this afternoon? Come on, clap your hands with us.
♪ Use me Lord, Use me Lord, in thy service, in thy service ♪
♪ Call me nearer, call me nearer ♪
♪ Close to Thee Lord, close to Thee♪
♪ Lord I'm willing, Lord I'm willing ♪
ANTHONY DANIELS: In Eastern North Carolina. It seemed like a lot of quartet groups, a lot of really soulful singing. You know, it's, it's just people very serious about what they doing, you know. And you could tell it through the songs and the way that they deliver.
Golden Jubilees singing:
♪ Lord, I'm willing. ♪
♪ How many know, He's got all the power in his hands. ♪
♪ And y'all never asked the Lord to use you ♪
♪ Lord, I'm willing ♪
♪ And y'all never asked the Lord to use you ♪
♪ Lord, I'm willing ♪
♪ Every once in a while, y'all ♪
♪ Lord, and I'm willing. ♪
♪ Every once in a while, y'all ♪
18:09
KEAMBER DANIELS: In the rural south, I feel like the black church was their pillar of hope. It's where they went to, you know, pray together and sing together. Someone's going with through a problem. That's where you can find your support. You know, you get your guidance there.
♪ Somebody knows about the rock ♪
♪ Somebody knows about the shelter ♪
♪ In a stormy land ♪
♪ Lord, and I'm willing ♪
♪ Hey hey, yes sir. ♪
♪ Lord and I'm willing ♪
♪ Thank you Jesus. ♪
♪ Lord, and I'm willing ♪
♪ You've been better to me, God ♪
♪ Lord, and I'm willing ♪
♪ Than I've been to myself. ♪
♪ Lord, and I'm willing ♪
♪ Lord, and I’m willing ♪
BISHOP ALBERT HARRISON: In the east part of North Carolina. Ain't nothing like this old Jubilee gospel quartet singing. I love it all. But you give me that old Jubilee gospel singing, because we can get through, through brick walls. We--with the help of God—we can go through steel walls.
♪ Yes, I am ♪
BISHOP ALBERT HARRISON: And faith come from hearing. So that's where it's all about. Gospel is loved in North Carolina, the eastern part. So, we just got to keep the fellowship and keep building up the kingdom of the Lord, one soul at the time.
PHOTOGRAPHER taking group photo: Right here. Look at me. A lot of work being famous isn't it.
19:46
Note: groups are singing between interview excerpts.
JOHNNY RAY DANIELS My name is Johnny Ray Daniels, and the name of my group is Little Willie and the Fantastic Spiritualaires of Greenville, North Carolina. Always, always, before I do anything, people don't, don't even know it, but I, I pray. So I ask God, I say, Lord, touch me with your spirit that I be able to touch someone else.
Well, we got--it's four in the band in here-- and now my son, we're five with my son. But the other ones, the close friends with us, you know, so we didn't want this to be the spotlight-- just saying the Daniels family--
You want everybody to be involved-- and everybody is somebody, and everybody important.
I, I, I do my own style. Like I know a whole lot of them say, "Oh, you got a different style." I say, “Yeah, I got a style that God gave me.” And that's what I tried to use because when I hit my note, everybody say, "Oh, that's Johnny Ray. I know that's who that is." Music and singing is like your life or something you're going through--bring joy to you and all, all that, you know.
♪ Alright. I know he's all right ♪
♪ He's all right ♪
♪ Talking 'bout the holy ghost ♪
♪ Talking 'bout the holy ghost ♪
♪ Talking 'bout the holy ghost ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you walk right ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you talk right ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you live right ♪
JOHNNY RAY DANIELS: Growing up in here and being home. And my mother used to make us sing. And when people come, she would say, "My boys can sing." We'd say, "Mama, we don't want to sing." Then Mama had a look at you when you would say,"I don't want to sing." She had a look, and we'd say, "Okay, we'll sing." Because we know if we didn't, when that company left, we'd know we were going to get it. So all of them get up there. We'd be just singing and singing and playing. So that's where a whole lot of that came from too, my mother.
♪ God was there, God for me. ♪
♪ He’s my army, stay for the victory ♪
♪ He's alright ♪
23:06
JOHNNY RAY DANIELS: I'm going to tell you, when the Lord anoints you, anoints you with something. That's what the Lord anoint me to what I do, really. Because I, I never went to school for music and nothing like that. It didn't get to me. I could hear, I could hear it in my ears what to do. Or when I be playing the guitar, that's what I do. I could, it's just like I could hear say, “Do this, do that.” Do you know? I, I really could hear it. And, and it just be full of joy in playing and in that music.
I just feel so good when I stand up there to that mic or get my guitar. I feel so good. I really do.
A trip plays a big part in it because that's where we do most of our performing at, at churches. And, you know, sang up to, to bring people to the Lord. That's what it's all about. It's about the Lord, you know, that we can do something, that will touch somebody's heart. And when we go there-- And sometimes people could be sad at church and we'd go there and God give us a song to sing, you know, that bring joy to their soul.
I’m gonna tell you now, I used to be in a rock-and-roll band called the Soul Twisters. But one, one time I was at a, at a concert with the band and just the Lord just touched my heart, said I'm, I was in the wrong place, you know, going to the nightclubs and everywhere and I need to view my talent for him. And so that's where I'm at, where I'm at now-- doing the work for the Lord. And I really love it. I love it better because, you know, you can go in and feel that good joy and don't think about you in the nightclub and what might happen. - Oh Lord, have mercy, Jesus.
It gives you hope. You can find joy in a song. It's, it's emotions. And put the songs and music and words—it can take everything you're feeling at the moment. Maybe you can't vocalize it yourself, and just give it sound. You can take you having a bad day and turn on a certain song and your whole mood changed around. And I like that about music. I love it.
KEAMBER DANIELS singing:
♪ Amazing grace, ♪
♪ How sweet the sound. ♪
♪ That saved a wretch like me. ♪
♪ I once was lost, but ♪
ALICE VINES: I think too, you know, people go through different changes in their lives and just like you'll sing a song like Amazing Grace, you know, something that's going touch you and you're at that time when you're going through. So it brings on the emotion. People want to cry. And it's a, basically, it, it's for the emotion of your body. I, I feel like.
♪ Amazing grace, how sweet the sound ♪
ALICE VINES: It first starts from church, right? So, you start from church and you start singing in it. Sometimes people say, well, hey, let's form a group. And so, when they form this group, probably your parents did this. So, then they start dying off. So, you know, one, you know, in the family starts taking the other one's place. And then, you know, the younger ones taking the older place. So, they still take, you know, carry on the tradition that the older folks carried on.
♪ Now, I'm found. ♪
♪ Was blind ♪
♪ But now I see. ♪
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet ♪
ALICE VINES: So, it's like a trend, you know? You do it, I do it. Then it'll be probably after this generation gone, then another one start doing it. So, it probably would be here forever. I believe gospel music will be here forever.
♪ Like me ♪
♪ I once was lost ♪
♪ But now I'm found ♪
♪ Was blind but now I see ♪
BRUCE WATSON: Wow. Oh, my goodness. That was amazing. Wow. Thank you so much for doing that. Wow, man, you got a voice. That's so good.
♪ Glory. Glory. Hallelujah ♪
♪ Since I laid my burdens down ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Since I laid my burdens down ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Since I laid my burdens down ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Since I laid my burdens down
♪ Glory, hallelujah!
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah!
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah! ♪
♪ I feel better, I feel better ♪
♪ Since I laid my burdens ♪
♪ Laid my burdens down. ♪
♪ Glory, glory, hallelujah ♪
♪ Talking 'bout the holy ghost ♪
♪ Talking 'bout the holy ghost ♪
♪ Talking 'bout the holy ghost ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you walk right ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you talk right ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you live right ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you sharp ♪
♪ Holy ghost will make you sharp right ♪
♪ Glory glory ♪
CREDITS as singing continues
Presented by Bible and Tire Recording Company and Music Maker Foundation
Produced by Timothy Duffy
Bruce Watson
In association with No Sudden Movements
Talent Director: Alice Vines
Director of Photography: Cornelius Lewis
Editor: Joe LaMattina
North Carolina Sacred Soul Sessions recorded by Rick Caughron
Mixed by Bruce Watson
Mastered by Clay Jones at Pete’s Room
Post Production Producer: Lisa LaMattina
Post Production Services provided by No Sudden Movements
Additional Editing: Kyle Taubken
Production Coordinato: Aaron Greenhood
Production Assistant: Alexandra Stroud
DEDICATED MEN OF ZION
Vocals: Anthony Daniels
Vocals: Marcus Suggs
Vocals : Dexter Weaver
Vocals: Antwan Daniels
Drums : Jahim Daniels
Organ: J-rock, Jeron Blow
Guitar : Mark
Bass: Jerry Harrison
LITTLE WILLIE AND THE FANTASTIC SPIRITUALAIRES
Lead Guitar: Johnavon “Bo Peep” Sauls
Organ : Markell Nobles
Drummer: Jahim Daniels
Equipment Manager: Tyjon Harris
Keys: J-Rock
Vocals: JJ James F. Jones
Vocals, Business Manager: James Ray Barrett
Singer : Jarvis Daniels, Jr.
Singer : Little Willie Daniels
Singer : Johnny Ray Daniels
FAITH AND HARMONY
Singer : Andrea Edwards
Singer: Christy Moody
Singer: Tinesha Weaver
Singer: Alexandria Sugg
Singer: Kadesha Daniels
Singer, Manager: Keamber Daniels
Organ: Ace antwan Daniels
Bass, Keys: J-Rock, Jeron Blow
Drums: Jahim Daniels
BISHOP ALBERT HARRISON AND THE GOSPEL TONES
Bass, Vocals : Christian White
Drums, Vocals: Quincy White
Guitar, Vocals: Kelvin Ray Mitchner
Keys, Vocals : Alonzo Williams
Vocals : Bishop Albert Harrison
THE JOHNSONAIRES
Vocals, Business Manager: Toney Johnson
Keyboard: Kelvin Powell
Drummer: Phillip Johnson
Singer : James C. Johnson
Singer, Bass: Calvin Johnson
Singer : Jerome Johnson
JOHNNY RAY DANIELS
Lead Singer, Guitar: Johnny Ray Daniels
Vocals : Jayonica Daniels
Vocals : Keamber Daniels
Vocals : Anthony Daniels
Drums : Jahim Daniels
Keys, Bass: J-Rock, Jeron Blow
Organ : Antwan Daniels
BIG JAMES BARRETT & THE GOLDEN JUBILEES
Lead Vocals: James Barrett
Vocal Tenor: Eric Hall
Vocal 2nd Lead: Noeman Pugh
Vocal Barratone, Push Singer: Nate Mabry
Bass Guitar: Ashley Doe
Keyboard: Anthony Jackson II
Drums : James C. Johnson
Guitar: Johnavon “Bo Peep” Sauls
MELODY HARPER
Vocal: Melody Harper
Piano: Alvin Hines
Drums : Byron Cobb
MARVIN EARL “BLIND BUTCH” COX
Keys, Vocals: Marvin Earl Cox
THE GLORIFYING VINES SISTERS
Lead Vocal: Alice Vines
Vocal: Audrey Vines
Drums; Jahim Daniels
Aux Drums: Tyjon Harris
Keys: Alonzo Williams
Lead Guitar: Kelvin Ray Mitchener
SPECIAL THANKS
Shirley Mitchell, Mayor of Fountain, North Carolina
Alex Albright, Pitt County Commissioner
Freeman Vines
Denise Duffy
Nick Jurkevich
Filmed on location at Music Maker East, Fountain, North Carolina
