Country's 20 Classic Gospel Songs of the Century

Museum staff provided historical information and photographs, and, Museum Senior Historian John Rumble contributed the comprehensive liner notes.  The staff was, says Rumble, mining rich veins.

“It wasn’t really that hard to come up with great performances and great songs,” he says. “The hard part was deciding which 20 we were going to present.”

 “This collection,” adds Ken Harding, New Haven founder and president, “was a natural collaboration with the Museum, and I couldn’t be happier about how it turned out.  It’s a project sure to be embraced by gospel fans and country fans alike.”

Kyle Young, Director of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum says, "We're excited about this album, and we're delighted to be partnering with New Haven Records.  Projects like this are one way the Museum fulfills its mission of preserving the history and traditions of country music and related musical styles rooted in southern culture.  This album also allows us to make parts of our collection available to the public beyond the walls of the Museum."

The oldest is the Carter Family’s 1935 classic "Can the Circle Be Unbroken," which remains one of the most frequently performed gospel songs in both gospel and country settings.  It shows that in the earliest sessions deemed part of the country canon, gospel music was an important part of the mix.

The mid-century--when sacred and secular music mixed frequently on stage and on record--is represented by Hank Williams and Red Foley. Williams was heavily influenced by gospel, and his country and gospel performances speak volumes about the close relationship between the two traditions. His timeless "I Saw the Light" is included here, as is Foley’s Top Five hit “Peace in the Valley,” recorded with the
Sunshine Boys in 1951.

Several of the project’s songs come from the late 1950s.  The Stanley Brothers "Angel Band," released in 1958, is a stellar example of mountain gospel.  It was re-released in 2000 as part of the multi-platinum O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.  Tennessee Ernie Ford, known for highly popular work in country, pop, and gospel, contributes “The Old Rugged Cross,” and Jim Reeves, one of the era’s smoothest balladeers, is represented by “In the Garden.”