D Vine

The Southern Bells: “I’ve Got To Tell It”

Although Song of the Day tries not to play favorites, in these final hours of Black History Month 2022 we’ve just gotta give you one more Memphis soul rarity from Sacred Soul: The D Vine Spirituals Record Story Vol. 1 & 2. This killer compilation’s now available on LP vinyl so you don’t need to jockey between singles on twin turntables, or if you’re strictly on streaming, you can just kick back and press play on Sacred Soul.

These singles are drenched in both faith and finesse, and now that they’re archived digitally, they’re not going anywhere. So share the twenty-eight tracks off Sacred Soul with a fellow soul-fanatic, especially today’s final highlight from The Southern Bells, “I’ve Got To Tell It”.

The Shaw Singers: “My Time Ain’t Long”

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 onThe Shaw Singers‘ “My Time Ain’t Long”.

Elizabeth King & The Gospel Souls: “I Heard The Voice”

Last Tuesday we introduced you to Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story Vol. 1 & 2, along with a promise to share some of the bounty over the course of Black History Month. Before this compilation dropped your best bet to hear these Memphis rarities was finding low quality turntable rips on YouTube or buying the 45s yourself. But now with Sacred Soul we’re able to enjoy the sounds of ’70s gospel in as high of fidelity as when these songs were first recorded. One of the more recognizable names on Sacred Soul is Elizabeth King, who at age 77 released her full-length Living in the Last Days just last April. It’s great to see King still in command of her chops, but even more so when you pair the new stuff against her genre-defining backing band The Gospel Souls and their iconic D-Vine recordings like “I Heard The Voice”!