How I got on this journey

I grew up in a gospel music family.  In fact, my father grew up in a gospel music family.  My grandparents, Clifford and Clara Watson raised four boys and taught them to sing gospel music. 

In those days, there would be a "singing" on Saturday. People would bring food for the "potluck" lunch.  They would sing all morning, break for lunch, and go back and sing all afternoon. They sang from "convention" songbooks, published for the purpose of use by the gospel singings.  Stamps Baxter was a popular book.

In the summer, there would be "singing schools", usually taught by someone from the publisher of the song book.  I remember attending these in my teen years.  The one that I attended was held at Greenhill Methodist Church, in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.  It was taught by Robert S. Arnold.  Mr. Arnold wrote "No Tears in Heaven" and many other gospel songs.  He wore the old-fashioned, round, horn-rimmed glasses.  I thought he looked like an owl. 

I was 12 the first time I went to singing school. We had just moved to a new town and I didn't know anyone.  But I had grown up singing gospel music.  My daddy was the music director at every church I had ever been in.  Singing was the one thing I was not shy at doing. However, Mr. Arnold took me out of my comfort zone when he declared that each of us would learn how to direct the singing.  I was shy, and terrified at standing in front of the church and directing the singing. In Mr. Arnold's class, no one could opt out of any segment of the school.  So, I learned how to beat the time for every time signature.

We learned all the fundamentals of singing.  The emphasis of the singing school is sight singing.  The songbooks are written with shaped notes, because many of the old-time singers did not know the lines and spaces of the staff.  They learned the do-re-mi method, where each note has a distinctive shape.  I am sure it would come back to me, but all I remember of the shapes is that "do", which is the base chord or the key in which the song is written, is a triangle.

I wish everyone could experience an old-fashioned gospel singing.  My daddy still has one in Hot Springs Arkansas.  I believe they meet on the 4th Thursday of the month.  Everyone brings food for eating after the singing.  When you arrive, there is a sign-in sheet for those who want to lead a song, sing a special, etc.  Daddy opens the singing and then calls on those who signed in to pick a song from one of the books.  They take turns leading a song and everyone sings together. A few will sing a solo or a quartet will sing.  This goes on for an hour or so, and then they eat and fellowship.  It is a wonderful time of singing about our Lord Jesus all evening.

So, that is how I got on this Journey in Song.  In future posts, I will talk about the songs that I have written and the stories behind them.


Psalm 13:6  I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.