Overview

Born in 1883, Jackson took a keen interest in fa-sol-la singing as a teenager. Such singing derives originally from colonial New England singing schools designed to teach musical note-reading in order to improve congregational singing. It took root in the South, as its popularity declined elsewhere and was well-established in the Wiregrass region of southeast Alabama in both black and white communities when Jackson discovered it. Around 1930, Jackson determined to compile a book for the benefit of African American singers. A selection of songs from the Colored Sacred Harp appears on a CD enclosed with the book. In addition to 25 recordings made or collected by Boyd, the CD features a recording made at a Sacred Harp singing by folklorist John Work in 1938, and one made by Jackson and family at a coin-operated recording booth in Dothan, Alabama, in 1950.

Full Product Details

9780817315108

Table of Contents

Reviews

[This book] has a layered and recursive form, in which various streams separate and converge; a biography, a personal memoir of the folk revival, a critical survey of scholarly literature on African American Sacred Harp singing, a generous selection of evocative photographs spanning the twentieth century, and a CD that ranks among the most valuable and carefully compiled collections of historical Sacred Harp recordings ever assembled.... Judge Jackson's story is of special interest because he was African American - the 'black giant of white spirituals.' - The Alabama Review

[This book] has a layered and recursive form, in which various streams separate and converge; a biography, a personal memoir of the folk revival, a critical survey of scholarly literature on African American Sacred Harp singing, a generous selection of evocative photographs spanning the twentieth century, and a CD that ranks among the most valuable and carefully compiled collections of historical Sacred Harp recordings ever assembled.... Judge Jackson's story is of special interest because he was African American - the 'black giant of white spirituals.' - The Alabama Review

Author Information

Joe Dan Boyd was born and reared on a farm near Winnsboro, Texas, where he attended high school and now has offices on land he once tilled. At Texas A&M, Joe Dan earned a bachelor's in agricultural journalism. Later, he earned a master's in folklore at the University of Pennsylvania, where he pioneered the first discography and analysis of American farm songs. He also collected field recordings of shape note singing among African-American songsters which led to his book, Judge Jackson and The Colored Sacred Harp.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available