Description
In this recording, Bayard Rustin performs a cycle of twelve African American spirituals arranged to narrate the life of Jesus Christ. The performance reveals a lesser-known dimension of Rustin’s life: his accomplished tenor voice and deep engagement with the musical traditions of the Black church. Rustin is accompanied by James Farmer, his colleague from the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), who reads biblical passages from the American Standard Version to frame each section.
The program follows a clear narrative arc:
Advent: Rustin opens with the jubilation of the Nativity, singing "Go, Tell It on the Mountain," "Mary, What You Goin' to Name that Pretty Little Baby?", and "Wasn't That a Mighty Day?"
Life: This section features "I Know the Lord Laid His Hands on Me," emphasizing Jesus’s ministry and divine anointing.
Passion: The emotional core of the cycle consists of five "sorrow songs" depicting the suffering and crucifixion, including "Shepherd, Where'd You Lose Your Sheep?", "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley," "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?", and "He Never Said a Mumblin' Word."
Resurrection: The cycle concludes with hope and triumph through "Lord, I Don't Care Where You Bury My Body," "He Arose," and "He Is King of Kings."
Rustin’s singing style is notable for its clarity, emotional restraint, and classical influence, distinguishing his delivery from the more improvisational gospel style while retaining the spirituals' profound gravity.
Historical Context
Bayard Rustin was a professional-caliber musician who viewed spirituals as a vital form of historical and political expression. In the 1940s, he performed professionally with Josh White and released an album of spirituals and Elizabethan songs on the Fellowship Records label. For Rustin, these songs were not merely religious artifacts but testaments to resilience and resistance.
The collaboration with James Farmer is historically significant. Farmer and Rustin were pioneering figures in the nonviolent civil rights movement; they co-founded CORE and utilized Gandhian nonviolent direct action long before it was adopted by the broader movement. Hearing these two titans of political organizing collaborate in a purely artistic and religious context underscores the spiritual foundations of their activism. The recording serves as an acoustic archive of the movement's cultural depth, reminding listeners that the strength to endure "lonesome valleys" and political persecution often drew from these deep wells of tradition.
"Bayard Rustin sings Spirituals on the Life of Christ!" YouTube video, 28:35. Posted by "kadoguy," December 15, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfJSXYZYc4o.
