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The Drinkard Singers were a pioneering gospel group from Newark, New Jersey, sometimes seen as Newark’s answer to The Ward Singers and The Gospel Harmonettes. It was famous as the launchpad for the careers of the great soul singers Cissy Houston (then known as Emily Garland) and Judy Clay (originally Judy Guions). They were also famous for being the first gospel group to perform at Carnegie Hall and the first to appear at the Newport Folk Festival. They began as a family group during the late 1940s comprising the children of Nicholas and Delia Mae Drinkard – the name Drinkard was mostly of Native American origin. They developed a more rocking, up-front style as traditional jubilee quartets went out of fashion, and opened for Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson at Carnegie Hall in 1951. This 44-track 2-CD collection comprises their first 1954 singles for Savoy and three more Savoy/Regent tracks that were included on a later albums “A Gospel Program” and “Newport Spiritual Stars”, and then all the titles from their RCA album “A Joyful Noise”, and their albums on the Choice label in the early ‘60s “Yield Not to Temptation” and “Joy Unspeakable”. In the middle of that are ‘live’ recordings from their 1958 appearance at Newport, which came out of the Verve album “Gospel Singing At Newport”. We round off with a stunning performance from a 1963 TV show. It’s a great showcase for their uplifting, extrovert and inspiring style that is as close to soul as it is gospel.
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