SACRED SOUNDS-DAVE HAMILTON’S RAW GOSPEL.

dereksmusicblog ♦ August 2, 2019 ♦ Leave a comment

Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel.

Label: Kent Soul.

Guitarist, songwriter, producer and record label owner Dave Hamilton was a familiar face on  Detroit’s vibrant music scene for over fifty years. His career began in the mid-forties, and he was still working in the nineties. Not many people had enjoyed a career that spanned six decades, never mind working with some of the biggest names in the Detroit music scene. Part of the reason  for his longevity was his versatility.

Dave Hamilton didn’t just work on one type of music, he recorded different genres of music, from the soul the he was famous for, right through to the gospel music. This includes the twenty-four tracks  that feature on  Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel, a new compilation released by Kent Soul, which is an imprint of Ace Records. These tracks are a reminder that Dave Hamilton produced much more than soul.

Despite not being a particularly religious man, Dave Hamilton, who lived opposite Reverend C.L. Franklin’s New Bethel Baptist Church, spent part of his career recording gospel music in Detroit. This included for a number of Detroit based labels, especially Sacred Sounds.These tracks were recorded between 1969 and 1976, but a number make their debut on Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel.

Opening Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel is Jesus Is With Me Pt 1 – Little Stevie & The Reynolds Singers, which was released in 1969.  It sets the bar high and is a tantalising taste of what’s still to come. This includes I’m Not Ready To Die which The Scott Singers released in 1971. It’s also delivered with emotion and passion. These two tracks were released on the Sacred Sounds label, while the hidden gem Pressing On by The Silver Harps was released on the Silver Harp label in 1974.  However, after this comes the first of the unreleased tracks.

This includes Rev Simon Barbe’s (This Is) My Plea which was originally recorded in 1974, while  Mr Bo’s Savior On The Throne was recorded in 1976, but was never released until now. Both tracks are welcome additions. So are the extended version of The Scott Singers’ When The Saints Go Marching In  and another of their unreleased tracks I Thank You Jesus For One More Day. However, If I Had My Way by OC Tolbert and Clara White Houston is a real fine and is one of the best of the unreleased tracks.

Another track released by Sacred Sounds in 1969 was I Heard A Voice Pt 1 by the Sensational Angelettes, which oozes quality like Grown Old And Feeble by The Soul Inspirers from 1973. Both tracks were released on Sacred Sounds which released so much of Detroit’s best gospel music. This also included He’s All I Need by The Sensational Sunset Paraders from 1972 and The Fantastic Voices Of Joy’s 1969 track The Little Light. That isn’t forgetting Down Here Praying released in 1970 by The Detroit Silver-tones. Closing Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel is another from unreleased track from The Scott Singers, My God Is Calling Me. It’s another track from the Sacred Sounds vaults which is where some of the best gospel recorded in Detroit currently resides.

For many music fans, the name Dave Hamilton is synonymous with  soul music. However, he produced many different genres of music during a six decade career. This includes gospel music, and  the twenty-four tracks on Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel, which was released by Kent Soul, and is an imprint of Ace Records. Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel features twenty-four sacred sounds that are sung with emotion, passion and sincerity.

Sacred Sounds-Dave Hamilton’s Raw Detroit Gospel.