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Apr 18, 2022 Web Exclusive By Hays Davis

In the early 1970s, magic was made when a Memphis studio brought out the best in a gospel sound that wove threads connecting to soul and early rock and roll into something special. The D-Vine Records motto stated “D-Vine is Gospel.” Recorded between 1972-1986, the two volumes of Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Records Story (two separate releases) do indeed offer something divine.

When preacher Juan D. Shipp made it his mission to find a Memphis facility that could produce quality gospel recordings, he found it with record producer Clyde Leoppard and Leoppard’s Tempo Recording Studio. The first D-Vine release, Elizabeth King and the Gospel Souls’ “I Heard the Voice,” made for a first-rate calling card with King’s stirring performance and the Souls’ excellent doo-wop-style foundation. It didn’t take long before groups attracted to the D-Vine sound began seeking out Shipp to record. As King states in the notes for Volume One about his approach to recording, “Reverend Shipp would make you stay in there all night. If it was in you, he was gonna get it.”

There are unique charms to be found in every track here. For “Memories,” from The Spiritual Stars of Kansas City, Missouri (their full name), imagine James Brown looking back on friends lost along the way while his group gently eggs him on. Over a wonderfully lo-fi backing of electronic percussion and keyboard (an anomaly here compared to D-Vine’s usual band backing), The Kingdom Airs follow their lead singer like a roomful of emphatic gospel trumpets. “The reason I love him/Get in my feet, make me run sometimes,” they sing on “The Reason I Love Him.” The Gospel Six of Tunica, Mississippi (their full name) even gets a bit funky with “Jesus, He’s a Miracle Worker.” Throughout both volumes, the groups’ vocals are vibrant, engaging, and unquestionably moved by the spirit.

Whether or not gospel is a part of anyone’s regular music rotation, both volumes of The D-Vine Spirituals Story offer some soul-jolting enlightenment to fans of ’60s and ’70s (and beyond) music, soul, R&B, and early rock and roll. Elder Ward and the Gospel Four, with the darker tone of their riveting “God’s Going to Blow Out the Sun,” might even make Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds blush. (www.bibleandtire.com)

Author rating: 8/10