The Famous Ward Singers - WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR A NIGHT
Joe Guarino, Jul 29, 2015
-snip-
AI Overview [retrieved March 11, 2026]
The Famous Ward Singers first recorded "Weeping May
Endure For A Night" in 1954. It was released on the Savoy label (78 rpm
4062) paired with "Treading The Wine Press Alone". The song was later
included on the 1959 album I Feel the Holy Spirit.
Key Details:
Recording Date: 1954
Label: Savoy Records
Album Context: Later appeared on I Feel the Holy Spirit
(1959)
Personnel: Often associated with the 1950s lineup featuring
Clara Ward, Henrietta Waddy, and Marion Williams"
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about a late 19th century Christian hymn and an early 20th century Christian hymn with the lyrics "weeping may endure for the night" but joy comes in the morning".
This post also showcases three YouTube examples of African American Gospel versions of "Weeping May Endure For The Night".(also known as "Joy Comes In The Morning" or "Joy").
These showcased examples were recorded by The Famous Ward Singers (1954), Rev. James Cleveland & The Southern California Choir (1969) and The Mississippi Mass Choir (1988). Perhaps because it's the most recent recording of that Gospel song compared to the other Gospel versions in this post, but, In my opinion, the recording by The Mississippi Mass Choir is by large margins more well known and much more favored by African American church folks than those other two Black Gospel recordings of "Weeping May Endure For A Night".
The content of this post is presented for religious, cultural, historical, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers/arrangers of these songs and thanks to all those who are featured in YouTube examples of this song. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post and thanks to the publishers of theses videos on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE LATE 19th CENTURY AND EARLY 20th CENTURY HYMNS WITH THE TITLE OR LYRICS 'WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR THE NIGHT" OR "JOY COMES IN THE MORNING"
AI Overview [retrieved March 11, 2026]
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning" is a gospel refrain rooted in Psalm 30:5, with several musical
variations. A well-known 19th-century hymn with this title was written by Mary
M. Weinland (sometimes spelled Wienland) with music by Edmund S. Lorenz,
published in 1887.
Original Hymn: Published in Gospel Hymns No. 5 (1887), it is often associated with the phrase "Joy Cometh in the Morning".
Other Versions: A different hymn with a similar title was
written by Clarence M. Seamans.
Modern Context: The phrase is frequently used in modern
gospel songs, including recordings by artists like the Cosmopolitan Church of
Prayer Choir. "
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AI Overview
"Weeping May Endure for a Night" (often titled
"Joy Cometh in the Morning") is a gospel song with roots in the
19th-century, but it was prominently recorded by the Ward Singers in the
early-to-mid 20th century. The lyrics are based on Psalm 30:5, with many
versions attributed to 19th-century writer Mary M. Weinland (published 1887).
Key Details:
Composer/Lyricist: Often credited to Mary M. Weinland
(words, c. 1887) and Edmund S. Lorenz (music). However, the phrase is a
traditional spiritual/scriptural phrase heavily utilized in African American
gospel, with notable, later, and separate compositions by Rev. Herbert
Brewster.
Earliest Recording/Popularity: While 19th-century, the most
famous gospel-style renditions were recorded in the 1940s and 50s, including by
the Ward Singers.
Modern Recording: Dr. Charles G. Hayes & the
Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir recorded a well-known version in the 2000s
(released 2009).
-snip-
*The Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir" is also known as "Dr. Charles G. Hayes & The Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir."
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WHAT DOES THE TERM "GOSPELIZED HYMN" MEAN?
Gospelized hymns are Christian hymns that are composed, arranged, and performed in a gospel style, particularly an African American Gospel style.
Although the titles of gospelized hymns may be the same or very similar to titles of early Christian hymns, the tune, tempo, and lyrics are usually quite different from the lyrics of those hymns.
Complicating this subject is the fact that there often are mutiple examples of Christian hymns and multiple examples of Gospel songs with the same or similar titles, but with different tunes, tempos, and lyrics.
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WHAT AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPEL GROUP OR CHOIR WAS THE FIRST TO RECORD AN AFRICAN AMERICAN VERSION OF "WEEPING MAY ENDURE FOR THE NIGHT?
The Ward Singers were the first African American group to record an African American Gospel version of "Weeping May Endure For The Night". A YouTube example of The Ward Singers performing that song is given at the top of this pancocojams post.
Here's some information about The Ward Singers from https://malaco.com/artist/gospel/clara-ward-the-famous-ward-singers/ Clara Ward And The Famous Ward Singers
"In 1931, seven-year-old Clara Ward and her nine-year-old
sister Willarene (better known as “Willa”) began performing with their mother,
Gertrude, in Philadelphia. Gertrude first called the group “The Consecrated
Gospel Singers,” then simply “The Ward Trio.” The three singers, with the two
girls alternating as piano accompanists, initially appeared at churches in and
around their hometown, but after creating a sensation at the National Baptist
Convention in Chicago in 1943, they began touring widely. In 1949, having
expanded the lineup to include singers Henrietta Waddy and Marion Williams, the
group traveled to Los Angeles and cut their first records for the Miltone
label. Curiously, none of the songs they recorded in Los Angeles were ever
issued on Miltone, but many soon appeared on other labels, including Dolphin’s
of Hollywood, Gotham and Savoy.
By 1950, the Ward Singers were the hottest female gospel group in the land. Two of their songs—Surely God Is Able and Move Up a Little Higher, both released by Gotham that year—became major gospel hits, said to have sold more than a million copies each. Gotham billed them as “The Famous Ward Singers (of Philadelphia)” and the name stuck, albeit without the name of the city. The group also recorded over the years as “Clara Ward and the Ward Singers.” Clara’s distinctive arrangement of the traditional hymn How I Got Over, recorded in 1950 for Gotham, was soon successfully covered by Mahalia Jackson for Apollo Records in New York. It became Jackson’s signature song.
By 1951, the group was formally recording for Savoy and continued doing so for the next 11 years. Other singles and albums also appeared during that period on such labels as Duke, Dot and Vanguard. Later recordings were issued on Columbia, Verve, Philips and Nashboro until Clara’s death in 1973 at age 48."...
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Weeping May Endure
Rev. James Cleveland and the Southern CA Choir -Apr 28, 2020
Provided to YouTube by Malaco Records
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - Rev. James Moore - Joy
malacomg, Jun 9, 2014
Reverend James Moore - Joy [Mississippi Mass Choir]
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I believe that this is the version of "Weeping May Endure For The Night" that is (or was) most often sung in African American churches, particularly in the 1990s. The verses of that song consists of lyrics from the hymn "Amazing Grace".
Here's information about this rendition of that song:
AI Overview [Retrieved March 11, 2026]
"The Mississippi Mass Choir first recorded "Joy (Weeping May Endure for a Night)" during their debut live recording session at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson, Mississippi, on October 29, 1988. This track was featured on their self-titled debut album, The Mississippi Mass Choir Live, released shortly after.
Key details regarding their early recordings:
Recording Date: October 29, 1988.
Debut Album: The Mississippi Mass Choir Live (1988).
Achievements: The debut album reached #1 on the Billboard
gospel chart in early 1989.
The song, noted for its high-energy performance, was part of
the choir’s initial, historic, and critically acclaimed live recording."
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/01/seven-examples-of-gospel-song-weeping.html for the 2017 pancocojams post "Seven Examples Of The Gospel Song "Weeping May Endure For The Night But Joy Comes In The Morning" .That post also includes two lyric examples for this gospelized hymn.
Here are the names of the singers who are showcased in that pancocojams post:
-Rev. James Cleveland and the Southern CA Choir
-Mississippi Mass Choir, featuring Reverend James Moore
-Soul Children (Chicago)
-a male chorus at an African American church
-Lolita Floyd Amos
-The Famous Ward Singers
-First Baptist Church of Glenarden (Maryland)
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