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Audio Recording Musical performances, Tift County Singing Convention, Tifton, Georgia, parts 9 and 10, includes interviews with Albert Mashburn and Mr. and Mrs. Chester Gargus

About this Item

Title

  • Musical performances, Tift County Singing Convention, Tifton, Georgia, parts 9 and 10, includes interviews with Albert Mashburn and Mr. and Mrs. Chester Gargus

Names

  • Stanley, David, 1942- (Collector)

Created / Published

  • Tifton, Georgia, July 24, 1977

Headings

  • -  Folklore--Georgia
  • -  Song festivals
  • -  Hymnals
  • -  Field recordings
  • -  Songs
  • -  Sound recording
  • -  United States -- Georgia -- Tift County -- Tifton

Genre

  • Field recordings
  • Songs
  • Sound recording

Notes

  • -  Side B: Part 10 of a 10-part recording of interviews and performances at the Tift County Singing Convention, held at the Chapel of All Faiths, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton GA (Sunday, 24 July 1977; fieldworker's note indicates that parts 9 and 10 represent the final hour of the afternoon session, from about 3:30 to 4:30): Mr. Martin leads the closing prayer, "thanks to God, being able to commune with fellow Christians and fellow brothers, thanks to officers (piano), thanks for preachers, to win all that can be won before you say it's enough, come on home, we won't need to have any preaching over there, won't be any sickness or hospitals, won't be any ambulance sirens or police sirens, because you said, 'Peace, be still,' grant safety on highways for those going home, and those who have already left, for those who have died in the last few years, we're looking forward to a homecoming over there, singing won't start at 10 and end at 5, just singing and shouting hallelujah, praising you for giving us a safe journey home, heal the bodies, help Frank and Murray pay the bills"; last chorus of "I'll Have a Mansion in Heaven" followed by "God Be With You 'Til We Meet Again," fieldworker's notes state that during this last chorus, attendees picked up and stacked songbooks in the first pew; after the service, interview with Alfred Mashburn of Leoma Music Co., their books are assembled by Mashburn, his wife, and a few volunteers in their living room; Mashburn sells auto parts on road, but also takes copies of book, wrote his first gospel song in about 1942, published with Vaughan and others, "we just work together and make this book," writers from all over, company has editor "to see if it's sing-able or not," books are distributed at conventions, will sell about 4,000 per year, Vaughan and others may sell a million, also at national convention, which might attract 1,000 or more singers, each publisher has one-seventh of the songs and chooses the directors, people he knows, "it's the same bunch of people wherever you go," about 150 songs were submitted and 85 chosen, rejects are filed, his company holds copyright on most songs, no payments but writers get copies, publishers like Leoma don't make anything, hymnals "sell for $1.00 or $1.25, can't be much profit," no songs recorded so far, if a song is recorded, royalties are shared with writer, "we would do that, but whether the others would do that, I wouldn't say, we'd feel obligated," Leoma publishes one book a year, others publish two, "they're supposed to be out in January and June, but they come out about November and May, they always come out early," publishers agree not to put out next year's book until the national convention, two a year suggests "they are making some money, they say they don't, but I would think maybe they are," hard to publish all song writers, "they make me think that they would like to see a little company like mine die," so many songs, "if God gives you something, maybe you should share it with someone"; interview with Mr. and Mrs. Chester Gargus of Gallant AL (typed as "Gallup"), president and general manager of Convention Music, part-time, "we still have to work for a living, it's charity work," convention chooses 150-200 songs a year, they give songwriters 12 books for each song, some (songwriters) don't care, they just want the songs in front of the people, where "maybe they'll do someone some good," not much money in it, some publishers make enough to hire help to put the books together, it's all for the benefit of someone else, Mrs. (Irene?) Gargus mentions the Searchers Quartet, who recorded an album (of their songs).
  • -  Side A: Part 9 of a 10-part recording of interviews and performances at the Tift County Singing Convention, held at the Chapel of All Faiths, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton GA (Sunday, 24 July 1977; fieldworker's note indicates that parts 9 and 10 represent the final hour of the afternoon session, from about 3:30 to 4:30): the fieldworker's log indicates difficulty in identification of the first group, who perform the convention's theme song, "Thank you dear Lord for Saving My Soul," in the end identifying naming "J. Wallace Franks and two young women"; voice identifies automobiles that have been incorrectly parked; testimony by a woman who was recently near death, "God really touched my body," and who sings in response to a promise she made to God, "Jesus Opened Up the Way" and "We'll all go to the same Heaven": performance of number 50 in the hymnal Pure Gospel, James D. Vaughan, publisher; announce peaches are for sale at Morgan GA; unidentified song; "Hallelujah Meeting in the Sky"; performance of selections numbered 56 and 54 in the hymnal Pure Gospel, selection 54 led by Luther Moore; performance of numbered 112 in the hymnal Pure Gospel, fieldworker's notes state "excised"; voice announces effusive apology to a husband and wife who were in the sequence of song leaders, inadvertently passed over; thanks to those who brought books, including publishers' representatives, J. Wallace Franks, President of the Convention, says he's the representative for the convention in this area, and will order copies, "that's what keeps 'em going, they've gotta have some orders"; Miss Tompkins makes a sales pitch for her organ, since she hauls it to conventions anyway, she's willing to leave it with you if you're interested, Franks says "this organ has done a lot for this convention; performance of number 83 in the hymnal Road to Glory, Jeffress Music Co.; announcement, "I tell you what, everything must come to a close, and I think we've reached that point in this convention. we're gonna ask Mom Bethay (?) to come back and lead number 1 in the Jeffress book," fieldworker notes that Mom Bethay was the opening song leader on both days, at this point, chapel chimes begin, and Mom says "we've got chimes!"

Medium

  • audiocassette

Call Number/Physical Location

  • Call number: AFC 1982/010: AFS 21184
  • MBRS shelflist: RYA 0995
  • Field project identifier: GA7-DS-C17

Source Collection

  • South-Central Georgia Folklife Project collection (AFC 1982/010)

Repository

  • American Folklife Center

Digital Id

Online Format

  • audio

Rights & Access

The Library of Congress believes that some of the materials in this collection are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions, and are therefore free to use or reuse. For example, the fieldwork in this collection is in the public domain in the United States.

However, the Library has obtained permission for the use of other materials, and presents additional materials for educational and research purposes in accordance with fair use under United States copyright law. For example, some of the recordings contain copyrighted music, and not all of the performers and other individuals who were recorded signed releases for public use of their work.

In addition, the American Folklife Center and the professional fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

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Credit line: South-Central Georgia Folklife Project collection (AFC 1982/010), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Stanley, David. Musical performances, Tift County Singing Convention, Tifton, Georgia, parts 9 and 10, includes interviews with Albert Mashburn and Mr. and Mrs. Chester Gargus. Tifton, Georgia, 1977. Audio. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc1982010_afs21184/.

APA citation style:

Stanley, D. (1977) Musical performances, Tift County Singing Convention, Tifton, Georgia, parts 9 and 10, includes interviews with Albert Mashburn and Mr. and Mrs. Chester Gargus. Tifton, Georgia. [Audio] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/afc1982010_afs21184/.

MLA citation style:

Stanley, David. Musical performances, Tift County Singing Convention, Tifton, Georgia, parts 9 and 10, includes interviews with Albert Mashburn and Mr. and Mrs. Chester Gargus. Tifton, Georgia, 1977. Audio. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/afc1982010_afs21184/>.