Alan Lomax recorded the group in 1936 for the US Library of Congress, but the group made many more recordings over the next several decades. These include notable releases on Art Rupe's Specialty label, and some on former member Sam Cooke's SAR label in the early 1960's. Other former members include vocalists such as Johnnie Taylor,James Phelps, T.L. Bruster, Bob King and, briefly, Julius Cheeks.
They are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1989
One of the most popular and influential gospel groups of the 20th century, the Soul Stirrers were pioneers in the development of the quartet style of gospel and, without intending it, in the creation of soul music, the secular music that owed much to gospel.
The group was formed by Roy Crain, who had launched his first quartet, which sang in a jubilee style, in 1926 in Trinity, Texas. In the early 1930s, after Crain moved to Houston, he joined an existing group on the condition that it change its name to "the Soul Stirrers." Among the members of that group was R.H. Harris, who soon became its musical leader.
Harris, also from Trinity, Texas, brought several changes to the Soul Stirrers that affected gospel quartet singing generally. He used a falsetto style that had its antecedents in African music, but which was new to the popular jubilee singing style of the time. He pioneered the "swing lead", in which two singers would share the job of leading the song, allowing virtuoso singers to increase the emotional intensity of the song as the lead passed between them. That innovation led the Soul Stirrers, while still called a quartet, to acquire five members; later groups would have as many as seven but still consider themselves "quartets", which referred more to their style than their number.
The Soul Stirrers made other important changes in those years: ad-libbing lyrics, singing in delayed time, and repeating words in the background as both a rhythmic and emotional support for the lead singers. The Soul Stirrers dropped the "flatfooted" style of jubilee quartets before them and expanded their repertoire from spirituals and traditional hymns to the newer gospel compositions. The group also loosened the rigid arrangements that jubilee quartets had favored to permit individual singers within the group more space for individual development.
In 1936 Alan Lomax recorded the Soul Stirrers for the Library of Congress's American music project. They later moved to Chicago, where they broadcast a weekly radio show. Their nationwide touring gained them an even larger audience, as they delivered the emotional fervor that popular jubilee groups, such as the Golden Gate Quartet, did not.
The Soul Stirrers signed with Specialty Records, where they recorded a number of tracks, including "By and By" and "In that Awful Hour". Harris, the most popular member of the group, soon quit, however, in order to form a new group. He was replaced by the then-unknown Sam Cooke.
One of the first singles with Cooke was "Jesus Gave Me Water", a major hit that brought the Soul Stirrers massive acclaim. Thomas L. Breuster was replaced by Bob King and, briefly, Julius Cheeks. When Cooke left in 1957 to pursue a career in pop music, the Soul Stirrers' preeminence in gospel was essentially over, though a brief period of success with Johnnie Taylor sustained the group for a time. Various line-ups continued touring and recording throughout the last half of the century to a small and devoted following. The group — and all of its members — was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 as one of rock's Early Influences, and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000.
Just Another Day
The Soul Stirrers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That my Lord, my Lord has kept me
Yes it is
Just another day
That I've been in my saviors care
Yes it is
Wanna say through he do his loving
Arms al around me
Another day, I've been working in Gods vineyards
Another day, you know it kept me by your side
Another day, I knew just how hard you've been living
He said I want you to sit down and rest a while
When I get on home in my Gods kingdom
And he'll be there, be there with arms spread open
I'm gonna hear him saying, my servant welcome home
In The Soul Stirrers' song Just Another Day, the singer expresses gratitude for another day that God has allowed them to live, acknowledging that they are under His care and protection. The lyrics convey a feeling of peace and joy that the singer has found through being enveloped by God's loving arms. The song reflects on the hard work that the singer has been doing in God's vineyards, but also acknowledges that God wants them to rest and take a break. The final verse anticipates the day when the singer will enter God's kingdom and be welcomed home by Him.
Line by Line Meaning
Just another day
Another day has passed by like any other day
That my Lord, my Lord has kept me
I am grateful to my Lord for keeping me safe and healthy
Yes it is
This is so true
Just another day
Another day to live and serve my Lord
That I've been in my saviors care
My savior Jesus Christ has been looking after me
Yes it is
This is so true
Wanna say through he do his loving
I want to say that through his loving
Arms al around me
He has his arms all around me
And then I found, I found peace and joy
And then I found peace and joy in his presence
Another day, I've been working in Gods vineyards
Another day I've been serving the Lord and doing his work
Another day, you know it kept me by your side
Another day my Lord has kept me close to him
Another day, I knew just how hard you've been living
Another day I knew how hard he has been living
He said I want you to sit down and rest a while
He said he wants me to rest for a while
When I get on home in my Gods kingdom
When I reach heaven and enter God's kingdom
And he'll be there, be there with arms spread open
My Lord will be there with arms spread open to welcome me
I'm gonna hear him saying, my servant welcome home
I will hear him say, welcome home my faithful servant
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc.
Written by: SAM COOKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind