Master of the Sacred Steel album

Guitarist

Singers

Audiotape recordings

Steel guitars

Guitar music

Performing arts

Guitarists

Music performance

African Americans

Religious songs

Religious music

Gospel songs

Gospel musicians

Gospel (Black)

Religion

Churches

Christianity

Concerts

Community concerts

Protestants

Church services

Prayer

Musicians

One audio cassette recording. Master version of the Sacred Steel album, which was released in 1995 by the Florida Folklife Program. The album is divided into two sections: side 1 is instrumentals and concerts; side 2 are church services. For more information on musicians, recording locations, and production credits, see accompanying booklet, which can be found in S 2044, box 1, folder 22. The Sacred Steel Guitar Recording Project originated in 1992 when Florida Folklife Program folklorist Robert Stone discovered that several predominantly African American House of God churches (a sub-sect of the Pentecostal church) in the St. Petersburg area were using steel guitars in their religious services. The practice began by Willie and Troman Eason in the 1930s, and expanded upon by players such as Henry Nelson and Lorenzo Harrison. Realizing that this was a unique musical tradition, labeled Sacred Steel, the Florida Folklife Program to applied for a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to conduct fieldwork and create a music album for public dispersal. The aim of the project was to increase public awareness of the gospel steel guitar tradition, as well as document it for future generations. Matched with state funds, the grant period originally ran from October 1993 through October 1994, but was extended for another year. In that time Stone, along with sound engineers William Dudley and Mike Stapleton, interviewed and recorded several steel guitarists in the St. Petersburg area. An album entitled Sacred Steel was released in 1995. It was then re-released through an agreement with Arhoolie Records in 1997.

State Archives of Florida, Series S2044

1994-10-13

Florida Folklife Program

Ocala House of God Church #2 (Ocala, Fla.)

Church of the Living God (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

House of God church (Perrine, Fla.)

Florida Folk Festival

sound recordings

audiocassettes

Sound

a_s2044_02_tape06

S2044

2

Tape 6

Sacred Steel Guitar Recording Project

Stone, Robert, 1944-

Dupree, Sherry, 1946-

Dupree, Herbert

Ghent, Aubrey, 1958-

Nelson, Henry, 1930-2001

Treadway, Sonny, 1942-

Lee, Glenn, 1968-2000

Eason, Willie, 1921-2005

Manning, Bishop Naomi A.

Marks, Bishop Oscar

Brinson, Bessie

African American

Side 1: Dont Let the Devil Ride (Sonny Treadway)

In the Garden

At the Cross

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine

Call Him By His Name (Glenn Lee)

Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Savior

Joyful Sounds

Just a Closer Walk With Thee (Willie Eason)

Little Wooden Church on the Hill

Dont Let the Devil Ride (Aubrey Ghent)

One Day at a Time

Side 2: This is a Holy Church (Sonny Treadway)

At the Cross (Naomi Manning/Church of the Living God, Deerfield Beach)

Hold to Gods Unchanging Hand (Oscar Marks/Church of the Living God, Deerfield Beach)

Amazing Grace (Sonny Treadway)

God be With You (Naomi Manning/Church of the Living God, Deerfield Beach)

Closing Prayer (Church of the Living God, Deerfield Beach)

Praise the Lord Everybody (Henry Nelson)

Amazing Grace (Henry Nelson, Rev. Bessie Brinson)

Praise music (Aubrey Ghent)

Father in Jesus Name

House of God March

March medley

God Be With You

http://fpc.dos.state.fl.us/memory/collections/folklife/folklife-mp3/s2044/s2044_box02_tape06.mp3

mp3true

7545

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