with sam cooke (above)
The Soul Stirrers comprised of:
Silas Roy Crain (b. 1911, Augustine, Texas, U.S.A., d. 14th September 1996, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.)
Jesse J. Farley (b. 1915, Pennington, Texas, U.S.A. d. 11th October 1988, South Chicago Community Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
Thomas L. Bruster
and
Paul Foster (b. 12th July 1920, Shreveport, Los Angeles, U.S.A. d. 20th August 1995, Vallejo, California, U.S.A.)
later
Sam Cooke (b. Samuel Cook, a.k.a. Dale Cooke, 22nd January 1931, Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.A. d. 11th December 1964, the Hacienda Motel, 9137 South Figueroa, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.)
Lou Rawls (b. Louis Allen Rawls, 1st December 1933, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. d. 6th January 2006, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, U.S.A.)
Johnnie Taylor (b. Johnnie Harrison Taylor, 5th May 1937, Crawfordsville, Arkansas, U.S.A. d. 31st May 2000, Charleton Methodist Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.)
...amongst others...
The Soul Stirrers were an American gospel music group.
The group have been performing, with one line-up or another, since 1926.
They were ground-breakers in the development of the quartet style of gospel.
The group were formed by Silas Roy Crain in 1926.
In 1936, the Soul Stirrers recorded for the Library of Congress's American music project on the Aladdin Record label.
Throughout the 40's and 50's, the Soul Stirrer's nationwide touring gained them an even larger audience.
They signed with Specialty Records, where they recorded a number of tracks, including ‘By and By’ and ‘In that Awful Hour’.
The lead singer role changed hands several times.
the soul stirrers featuring sam cooke - 1959 / jesus be a fence around me - 1961 / encore with the soul stirrers - 1962 / resting easy - 1967
When Paul Foster left, he was replaced by Sam Cooke.
With Sam Cooke, The Soul Stirrers went through a transformation.
One of the first singles with Sam was ‘Jesus Gave Me Water’.
The song was a major hit that brought the Soul Stirrers into the mainstream market.
Sam left in 1957 to pursue a career in pop music.
Johnnie Taylor was his replacement for a time.
soul's in...but gospel's out of sight - 1969 / going back to the lord again - 1972 / strength, power and love - 1973 / heritage vol. 1 - 1974
Numerous line-ups continued to tour and record.
The Soul Stirrers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000.
with sam cooke (centre)
Albums:
with Sam Cooke:
The Soul Stirrers Featuring Sam Cooke (Specialty Records 1959)
The Wonderful World Of Sam Cooke (Keen Records 1965)
as the Soul Stirrers:
Going Back To The Lord Again (Specialty Records 1972)
Strength, Power And Love (Speciality Records 1974)
Tribute To Sam Cooke (Chess/MCA Records 1986)
Resting Easy (Chess/MCA Records 1986)
In the Beginning (Ches Records 1989)
with Sam Cooke:
Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers (Specialty Records 1991)
as the Soul Stirrers:
The Soul Stirrers Featuring R.H. Harris Shine On Me (Ace Records 1992)
Jesus Gave Me Water (Ace Records 1993)
Heaven Is My Home (Ace Records 1993)
The Last Mile Of The Way (Ace Records 1994)
