With less than a week to go in our celebration of Black History Month, we’ve gotta keep sweeping through the amazing compilation Sacred Soul: The D Vine Spirituals Record Story Vol. 1 & 2. Engineer Clyde Leoppard and Producer Juan D. Shipp poured their hearts into this ’70s Memphis label and recorded some of the steamiest gospel ever heard.
Now that these nearly thirty singles are crisply remastered and on streaming for the first time, there’s no need to dig in the crates to curate a playlist of strictly D Vine Spirituals. Instead you can throw the record on and instantly transport yourself back a half-century with breathtaking pieces of Black History. They all capture a singular snapshot of ’70s Southern soul with lyrics applicable to both society and spirituality, such as those heard on The Shaw Singers‘ “My Time Ain’t Long”.
–Jack Anderson
