Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases the Gospel song "O Happy Day".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, religious, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Edwin Hawkins for composing this song. Thanks to the choirs that are showcased in this post and thanks for all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-edwin-hawkins-singers-oh-happy-day.html for a 2013 pancocojams post entitled "Three Renditions Of The Edwin Hawkins Singers - Oh Happy Day"
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INFORMATION ABOUT EDWIN HAWKINS' GOSPEL SONG "OH HAPPY DAY"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh_Happy_Day
"Oh Happy Day" is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of an 18th century hymn. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching No. 4 in the US and No. 2 in the UK pop charts. It has since become a gospel music standard.
Edwin Hawkins’ funk style arrangement of the hymn "Oh, Happy Day" has a long pedigree: It began as a hymn written in the mid-18th century ("O happy day, that fixed my choice") by English clergyman Philip Doddridge (based on Acts 8:35) set to an earlier melody (1704) by J. A. Freylinghausen. By the mid-19th century it had been given a new melody by Edward F. Rimbault, who also added a chorus, and was commonly used for baptismal or confirmation ceremonies in the UK and USA. The 20th century saw its adaptation from 3/4 to 4/4 time and this new arrangement by Hawkins, which contains only the repeated Rimbault refrain (all of the original verses being omitted).
The Edwin Hawkins Singers began as The Northern California State Youth Choir of the Church of God in Christ, Inc. and was founded in 1967 by Hawkins and Betty Watson. Members were aged 17–25. As was common in gospel circles they produced and distributed their own LP: Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord, recorded live in church. "Oh, Happy Day", featuring Dorothy Morrison as lead vocalist, was picked up by a local DJ, KSAN's Bob Mcclay, and subsequently released commercially.Aretha Franklin had already brought strong gospel stylings to the pop charts with songs such as "Think" (1968), but a hymn had never “crossed over” before. "Oh Happy Day" soared into the US Top 5, winning a Grammy and massive sales worldwide."
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Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Hawkinsfor information about Edwin Hawkins (born 18 August 1943, Oakland, California)
Edwin Hawkins' brother, Walter Hawkins (May 18, 1949 – July 11, 2010) also composed Gospel songs and led a Gospel choir. Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KcopeY2Og for a sound file of Walter Hawkins & The Love Center Choir's Gospel song "I'm Going Up Yonder". Like Edwin Hawkins' composition of "Oh Happy Day", "I'm Going Up Yonder" has also become a highly regarded African American Gospel song.
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LYRICS- O HAPPY DAY
(Edwin Hawkins)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day)
Oh, it's a happy day (Oh, happy day)
He taught me how (He taught me how)
To watch and fight and pray
Watch and pray
And live rejoicing every day
Every day
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
He taught me how (He taught me how)
To watch and fight and pray
Watch and pray
And live rejoicing every day (Good god)
Every day
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, it's a happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, lord (Oh, happy day)
Mmm, good God (Oh, happy day)
Oh yeah (Oh, happy day)
Mmm, oh (Oh, happy day)
Source: https://genius.com/Edwin-hawkins-oh-happy-day-lyrics
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SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: The Edwin Hawkins singers in concert part 1 O Happy Day [1967]
thejazzsingers, Uploaded on Mar 22, 2010
From my gospel collection The Hawkins singers with o Happy Day later more of this b/w concert. Enjoy it.
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For Part II of this concert, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_jbBxzLsSc "The Edwin Hawkins singers in concert part 2 ( praise him )"
Read my comment below about The Edwin Hawkins Singers in this video wearing blouses or shirts decorated with Ghanaian/Ivory Coast adinkra symbols.
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Example #2: Aretha Franklin, Marvis Staples - Oh Happy Day
ArethaFranklinVEVO, Published on Aug 9, 2013
Music video by Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples performing Oh Happy Day. (C) 1987 Arista Records, Inc.
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Example #3: Sister Act Oh Happy Day HD
pepijn pi, Published on Jul 5, 2013
sister act song
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Sister Act is a 1992 American movie starring Whoopi Goldberg. The word "sister" in the title has a dual meaning of Catholic nun, and Black female.
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Example #4: "Oh Happy Day" Edwin Hawkins - Anthony Brown w/ FBCG Combined Choir
Inside FBCG, Published on Feb 14, 2018
First Baptist Church of Glenarden [Maryland].
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Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
As an aside, I just noticed that most of the members of the Edwin Hawkins singers (in the video given as Example #1 & in the Part #2 video whose link is given above) are wearing blouses and shirts that have Ghanaian (West Africa) adinkra symbols.
ReplyDeleteI'm very impressed that Edwin Hawkins or someone associated with this African American choral group knew about adinkra symbols in the late 1960s.
Here's information about adinkra symbols:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adinkra_symbols
"Adinkra are symbols that represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used extensively in fabrics and pottery among the Ashantis of Ashanti Kingdom and the baoules who historically migrated from Ghana. They are incorporated into walls and other architectural features. Fabric adinkra are often made by woodcut sign writing as well as screen printing. Adinkra symbols appear on some traditional Akan goldweights. The symbols are also carved on stools for domestic and ritual use. Tourism has led to new departures in the use of the symbols in such items as T-shirts and jewellery.
The symbols have a decorative function but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages that convey traditional wisdom, aspects of life or the environment. There are many different symbols with distinct meanings, often linked with proverbs. In the words of Kwame Anthony Appiah, they were one of the means for "supporting the transmission of a complex and nuanced body of practice and belief".[1]...
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Also, click http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra_index.htm has a text/pictorial list of adinkra symbols.
Probably the most well known adinkra symbol among African Americans is
"sankofa".