Check this out! Vintage tracks from a 1962 LP by the Savettes with Elder Goldwire McClendon on lead!

It's no secret, Elder Goldwire McClendon is a contender to be the winner on BET's Sunday Best for 2010. 79 year old Elder McClendon is clearly no stranger to gospel music, having started singing in the church at 9 years old. Something that only a few folks know is that Elder McClendon recorded during the Golden Era with The Savettes, and was featured as a lead vocalist on their first ever recording session in 1962. Here are 3 songs posted by Linwood Heath taken from the 1962 Savoy Records album featuring Elder McClendon on lead, with one song featuring Elder McClendon and his wife, Ruth on lead.

The Chicago Gospel Tour continues! Somewhat....

I've been home for a few months, but the Chicago Gospel Tour continues!

Here's a photo (courtesy of Bob Marovich) of Mahalia Jackson's first Chicago house, located at 3250 S. Prairie.

Nominate The Golden Era Gospel Blog for the 2010 Black Weblogs Award!

On June 1, 2010, nominations began for the 2010 Black Weblog Awards. The Black Weblog Awards started in 2005 as a way to honor and showcase Black bloggers and their blogs, both of which have generally been overlooked by mainstream Internet awards. Submissions for nominations can be sent in through July 25, 2010. Finalists will be announced on August 1, 2010, and voting for finalists will end on August 31, 2010. The winners will be announced on September 1, 2010.

Of the 35 categories listed, I'm certain that my blog is eligible for nomination in the following five categories.

1. Best Culture Blog

This category is for blogs which analyze and discuss Black culture and/or the African diaspora with respect to art, dance, Black history, music, and other related content.

2. Best Faith-Based Blog

This category is for blogs which feature unique religious and spiritual content from any religion or faith.

3. Best Music Blog

This category is for blogs that focus on music; blogs can provide downloadable mp3s, and may cover more than one genre of music. The majority of the blog should be about music, not satire on pop culture.

4. Best New Blog

This category is for blogs of any topic which have been started on or after September 1, 2009. (Just for the record, this blog was started on September 23, 2009.)

5. Blog to Watch

This category is for that great blog that not everyone knows about…but should! It’s undiscovered. It’s a best kept secret. (Although it won’t be anymore if they win this award!)

A reader notified me that they nominated this blog for a sixth category for Best Writing in a Blog. If you believe the material on this blog is well written based on the overall posts, you can go ahead a nominate it in the following category.

6. Best Writing in a Blog

This category is for blogs which have exceptional writing.

A blog can be nominated in more than one category, so you can nominate this blog in just one, or all six of the categories listed above. You can nominate this blog by clicking on the 2010 Black Weblogs Award icon in the upper right hand corner of this page, or by clicking on this link:
2010 Black Weblog Awards Nomination Form

It will ask you for the URL of the blog you wish to nominate, so remember, this blog's URL is http://goldeneragospel.blogspot.com/

So, why not take a few minutes and help out by nominating this blog?

Thanks!