2003 JANUARY 19 #019
Sister Gertrude Morgan - Let Us Make A Record
Church music by Sister Gertrude Morgan who sang, played the guitar, and did the artwork on the cover (sadly not reproduced here). Thanks to Russell Scholl for sharing this recording with me a few years back, it's still a favorite.
- Otis Fodder
TT-2:45 / 2.53MB / 128kbps 44.1khz
from the LP, "Let's Make A Record" (True Believer
Records LB-1)
Sister Gertrude Morgan wanted to help people learn. She believed that it was her job to teach everyone about her religion. To help people learn and remember, she did what any teacher does. She used visual aids! Instead of ordinary blackboards and bulletin boards, Sister Gertrude Morgan used her colorful artwork in her teaching. Sometimes she added lines from songs she wrote, and sometimes she made up poems, or copied parts of the Bible. Sister Gertrude Morgan grew up in Alabama. She belonged to a religious group that played instruments, danced, and sang during their church services. Later, she moved to New Orleans and opened a small church of her own. She called it the "Everlasting Gospel Mission," and she became a singing minister. When ministers teach the people in their church, they sometimes give a sort of speech called a sermon. Sister Morgan gave her sermons using her music and her art. "I guess my paintings spread the Word…," she said.
