The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

'' a cappella'' ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditional

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the ex ...

, but included some songs by

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...

. The original group toured along the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

path in the United States, as well as performing in England and Europe. Later 19th-century groups also toured in Europe. In 2002 the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

honored their 1909 recording of " Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" by adding it in the United States National Recording Registry. In 2008 they were awarded a National Medal of Arts.

History

The singers were organized as a fundraising effort for Fisk University. The

historically black college Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. M ...

in Nashville, Tennessee, was founded by the American Missionary Association and local supporters after the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

to educate freedmen and other young

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s. In 1871, the five-year-old university was facing serious financial difficulty. To avert bankruptcy and closure, Fisk's treasurer and music director, George Leonard White, a white Northern missionary dedicated to music and proving African Americans were the intellectual equals of whites,Ward, Andrew (2000), ''Dark Midnight When I Rise: The Story of the Jubilee Singers Who Introduced the World to the Music of Black America''. gathered a nine-member student chorus, consisting of four black men ( Isaac Dickerson,

Ben Holmes Ben Holmes (November 6, 1890 – December 2, 1943) was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 56 films and wrote for 35. Selected filmography * '' So This Is Harris!'' (1933) * '' Too Many Wives'' (1937); directed * ''Ther ...

, Greene Evans, Thomas Rutling) and five black women ( Ella Sheppard, Maggie Porter, Minnie Tate, Jennie Jackson, Eliza Walker) to go on tour to earn money for the university. On October 6, 1871, the group of students, consisting of two quartets and a pianist, started their U.S. tour under White's direction. They first performed in Cincinnati, Ohio. Over the next 18 months, the group toured through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.Jubilee Singers Timeline 1869-1874
'' The American Experience'' website,

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

and WGBH, accessed August 4, 2009. After a concert in Cincinnati, the group donated their small profit to the victims of the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of October 1871. As soprano Maggie Porter recalled, "We had thirty dollars and sent every penny to Chicago and didn't have anything for ourselves." The mayor of Chillicothe, Ohio, expressed "thanks to these young colored people for their liberality in giving the proceeds of last evening’s concert to our relief fund for the Chicago sufferers." The group traveled on to Columbus, Ohio, where lack of funding, poor hotel conditions, and overall mistreatment from the press and audiences left them feeling tired and discouraged. The group and their pastor, Henry Bennett, prayed about whether to continue with the tour. White went off to pray as well; he believed that they needed a name to capture audience attention. The next morning, he met with the singers and said "Children, it shall be Jubilee Singers in memory of the Jewish year of Jubilee." This was a reference to

Jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

described in the book of Leviticus in the Bible. Each fiftieth Pentecost was followed by a "year of jubilee" in which all slaves would be set free. Since most of the students at Fisk University and their families were newly freed slaves, the name "Jubilee Singers" seemed fitting. The Jubilee Singers' performances were a departure from the familiar "black minstrel" genre of white musicians performing in blackface. One early review of the group's performance was headlined "Negro Minstrelsy in Church--Novel Religious Exercise," while further reviews highlighted the fact that this group of Negro minstrels were, oddly enough, "genuine negroes." "Those who have only heard the burnt cork caricatures of negro minstrelsy have not the slightest conception of what it really is," Doug Seroff quotes one review of a concert by the group as saying. This was not a uniquely American response to the group's performance, but was typical in audience receptions in Europe as well: "From the first the Jubilee music was more or less of a puzzle to the critics; and even among those who sympathised with their mission there was no little difference of opinion as to the artistic merit of their entertainments. Some could not understand the reason for enjoying so thoroughly as almost everyone did these simple unpretending songs." As the tour continued, audiences came to appreciate the singers' voices, and the group began to be praised. The Jubilee Singers are credited with the early popularization of the

Negro spiritual Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the ex ...

tradition among white and northern audiences in the late 19th century; many were previously unaware of its existence.Ben S. Austin
The Fisk University Jubilee Singers
,

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...

. Accessed 5 January 2009. At first the slave songs were never sung in public, according to Ella Sheppard; "they were sacred to our parents, who used them in their religious worship and shouted over them...It was only after many months that gradually our hearts were opened to the influence of these friends and we began to appreciate the wonderful beauty and power of our songs. After the rough start, the first United States tours eventually earned $40,000 for Fisk University. In early 1872 the group performed at the World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival in Boston, and they were invited to perform for President Ulysses S. Grant at the White House in March of that year. They gave a separate performance in Washington, D.C., for Vice President

Schuyler Colfax Schuyler Colfax Jr. (; March 23, 1823 – January 13, 1885) was an American journalist, businessman, and politician who served as the 17th vice president of the United States from 1869 to 1873, and prior to that as the 25th speaker of the Hous ...

and members of the U.S. Congress. They traveled next to New York, where they performed before enthusiastic audiences at preacher

Henry Ward Beecher Henry Ward Beecher (June 24, 1813 – March 8, 1887) was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial. His r ...

’s Plymouth Church in Brooklyn and at

Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities such ...

in Manhattan. They garnered national attention and generous donations. Staying in the New York area for six weeks, by the time they returned to Nashville, they had raised the full $20,000 White had promised the university. In a tour of Great Britain and Europe in 1873, the group, by then with 11 members, performed "Steal Away to Jesus" and "Go Down, Moses" for

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

in April. They returned the following year, they sailed to Europe again, touring from May 1875 to July 1878 and drawing rave reviews. This tour raised an estimated $150,000 for the university, funds used to construct Fisk's first permanent building. Named Jubilee Hall, the building was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1975 and still stands.Kay Beasley
Fisk Jubilee Singers (1871–)

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tenness ...

. Accessed 31 August 2006. The original Jubilee Singers disbanded in 1878 because of their grueling touring schedule. As Ella Sheppard, one of the original Jubilee Singers recalled, "our strength was failing under the ill treatment at hotels, on railroads, poorly attended concerts, and ridicule." Porter also said, "There were many times, when we didn’t have place to sleep or anything to eat. Mr. White went out and brought us some sandwiches and tried to find some place to put us up." Other times while the singers would wait in the railway station, White "and some other man of the troupe waded through sleet or snow or rain from hotel to hotel seeking shelter for us". A new Jubilee Singers choir was formed in 1879 under the direction of George L. White and singer Frederick J. Loudin. This troupe, formed by White, consisted of Jennie Jackson, Maggie Porter, Georgia Gordon, Mabel Lewis, Patti Malone, Hinton Alexander, Benjamin W. Thomas, and newcomers R. A. Hall, Mattie Lawrence, and George E. Barrett. A. Cushing was the agent who managed their bookings. The original Jubilee Singers introduced slave songs to the world in 1871 and were instrumental in preserving this unique American musical tradition known today as Negro spirituals. They influenced many other troupes of jubilee singers who would go on to make their own contributions to the genre, such as the Original Nashville Students. They broke racial barriers in the US and abroad in the late 19th century. They raised money in support of their beloved school due to it failing. In 1999, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were featured in the documentary Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory, which aired on PBS' American Experience. In July 2007, the Fisk Jubilee Singers went on a sacred journey to Ghana at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy. It was a history making event, as it was their first time visit to Ghana. In 2008, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were selected as a recipient of the 2008 National Medal of Arts, the nation's highest honor for artists and patrons of the arts. The award was presented by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush during a ceremony at the White House.

Jubilee Day

Fisk University commemorates the anniversary of the singers' first tour by celebrating Jubilee Day on October 6 each year.

Recent accomplishments

The Jubilee Singers continue to perform as a touring ensemble of Fisk University students. As of 2000, the group had 14 members who sang without instrumental accompaniment and with their director offstage. They also have appeared with popular performers including Danny Glover,

Hank Williams Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...

, and

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( , ; née Edwards; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in country music history and one of the best-s ...

. The group was also inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Noted as the premier carriers of the Negro spirituals, the Fisk Jubilee Singers were selected in November 2008 as one of nine recipients of the 2008 National Medal of Arts. The award, which is the highest recognition for artistic excellence given by the United States Government, was presented by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush. Fisk Jubilee Singers 12 13 Ensemble

Representation in arts and culture

The documentary ''Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory'', aired on PBS' ''

American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...

'' in 2000, with repeat airings as recent as 2021. The documentary ''Matthew Kennedy: One Man's Journey'' on the life of former Fisk Jubilee Singers director Matthew Kennedy premiered at the

Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...

in 2007. The Fisk Jubilee Singers performed at the world premiere. On 15 May 2010

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

broadcast a play '' The Jubilee Singers'' about the Fisk Jubilee Singers' European Tour of 1873 by Adrian Mitchell. (The poet, playwright and human rights campaigner died in 2008.) It portrayed the relationship between the singers and a Welsh journalist who admired them and later acted as their publicist. From 8 May to 22 May 2010, the radio drama series ''

Adventures in Odyssey ''Adventures in Odyssey'' (AIO), or simply ''Odyssey'', is an Evangelical Christian radio drama and comedy series created and produced by Focus on the Family. Aimed at families with children age 12 and younger, the series first aired in 1987 as ...

'' released a three-episode saga entitled "The Jubilee Singers." In this saga, listeners can hear

Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 1817 or 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. After escaping from slavery in Maryland, he became ...

tell the story of George Leonard White, Benjamin Holmes, Ella Sheppard, Maggie Porter, and others in their struggle to save Fisk University out of a financial crisis. It was written by Dave Arnold and directed by Paul McCusker. In 2013, compose
Harvey Brough
and lyricist Justin Butcher, wrote "The Year of Jubilee", a piece for soloists and choir telling the story of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. It was first performed at St. Luke's Church, Holloway, London in April 2013 and also with the University o
Southampton Voices in May 2014
The latter performance was relevant in that the Fisk Jubilee Singers performed in Southampton 140 years prior to the concert. In 2016, Tyehimba Jess published a book of poems entitled "Olio" that includes a crown of sonnets which follows the lives of the first troupe of Fisk Jubilee Singers. In 2018, American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Rodney Atkins Rodney Allan Atkins (born March 28, 1969) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Curb Records in 1996, he charted his first single on the ''Billboard'' country chart in 1997, but did not release an album until 2003's '' ...

released a single titled " Caught Up in the Country" that featured the Fisk Jubilee Singers. It reached the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart in 2019. "Jubilee", an a cappella musical based on the Jubilee singers written and directed by Tazewell Thompson, had its world premiere at

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

in Washington, D.C., in 2019. Paul T. Kwami, the director of the Jubilee singers since 1994, died on September 10, 2022.

Legacy and honors

*1996, the National Arts Club honored the Singers with a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.Fisk Jubilee Singers: Music
, accessed August 5, 2009 *2000, the singers were inducted into the

Gospel Music Hall of Fame The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music. Inductees This is an incompl ...

. *2006, the group was honored on the Music City Walk of Fame. *2004, the song "Poor Man Lazarus" on the Singers' 2003 recording ''In Bright Mansions'' was honored with a Dove Award. *''In Bright Mansions'' also was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

that year in the Best Recording Package category. *2008, the group was awarded the National Medal of Arts. *2009, Fisk Jubilee Singers, with

Jonny Lang Jon Gordon Langseth Jr. (born January 29, 1981), known as Jonny Lang, is an American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has made five albums that have charted on the top 50 of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and has w ...

, released the song "I Believe" on the compilation album '' Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration'', and received a Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Performance."Grammy Gospel Nominations"
cbnmusic.com. *2021: Their album ''Celebrating Fisk! The 150th Anniversary Album'' was nominated for a

in the Best Roots Gospel Album category.The album won the Grammy - the first for the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Singers and tours

ote: Parentheses indicate performers who participated only a few months in a particular tour. First Tour October 1871 to March 1872: *(Phoebe Anderson) - contralto * Isaac Dickerson - bass * Greene Evans - bass * Benjamin Holmes - tenor * Jennie Jackson - soprano * Maggie Porter - soprano * Thomas Rutling - tenor * Ella Sheppard - soprano, piano, organ, and guitar * Minnie Tate - contralto * Eliza Walker - contralto * George Wells - performer Second Tour May 1872 to May 1874: * Isaac Dickerson - bass *( Greene Evans) - bass * Georgia Gordon - soprano * Benjamin Holmes - tenor * Jennie Jackson - soprano * Julia Jackson - contralto * Mabel Lewis - contralto *( Josephine Moore) - piano *( Henry Morgan) - tenor * Maggie Porter - soprano * Thomas Rutling - tenor * Ella Sheppard - soprano, piano, organ, and guitar * Minnie Tate - contralto * Edmund Watkins - bass Third Tour January 1875 to July 1878: * Hinton D. Alexander- tenor *( Minnie Butler) - voice and/or instrument unknown * Maggie Carnes - soprano * Georgia Gordon - soprano *( Ella Hildridge) - soprano * Jennie Jackson - soprano * Julia Jackson - contralto * Mabel R. Lewis - contralto * Frederick J. Loudin - bass *( Patti Malone) - mezzo-soprano *( Gabriel Ousley) - bass * Maggie Porter - soprano * America W. Robinson - contralto * Thomas Rutling - tenor * Ella Sheppard - soprano, piano, organ, and guitar * Benjamin W. Thomas - bass *( Lucinda Vance) - contralto * Edmund W. Watkins - bass

Alumni

Notable people who were members of the Jubilee Singers include: * Sadie Chandler Cole (1865-1941), later a music educator and civil rights activist in Los Angeles, and mother of operatic soprano Florence Cole Talbert *

Roland Hayes Roland Wiltse Hayes (June 3, 1887 – January 1, 1977) was an American lyric tenor and composer. Critics lauded his abilities and linguistic skills demonstrated with songs in French, German, and Italian. Hayes's predecessors as well-known Afr ...

, lyric tenor who was the first African-American male concert artist to receive wide international acclaim * Frederick J. Loudin, sang bass in the choir, the caliber of his singing was often compared to that of Roland Hayes and Paul Robeson, two of the greatest male vocalists born and bred on American soil. He also directed the "Original Fisk Jubilee Singers," before and after the group disbanded in 1878, touring the globe and receiving international acclaim, in the capacity of singer, director and manager of the group for nearly 30 years. * Orpheus Myron McAdoo (1858−1900) was an African-American singer and minstrel show impresario. He toured extensively in Britain, South Africa and Australia, first with Frederick Loudin's Jubilee Singers and then with his own minstrel companies. * Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones, soprano whose repertoire included grand opera, light opera, and popular music * Matthew Kennedy, initially one of the singers (tenor), and the group's piano accompanist, and later served as director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers from 1957 (intermittently) until 1986. *

Alice Vassar LaCour Alice Vassar LaCour (born 1870s – died 1924) was an American educator and singer. Early life and education Alice Maud Vassar was from Athens, Alabama, where she attended the Trinity School run by missionary Mary Fletcher Wells. She graduated ...

(1870s−1924), alto on the 1890-1891 tour; taught at American Missionary Association schools throughout the South * Patti J. Malone, mezzo-soprano * Mrs. James A. Myers, contralto, sang with the Fisk Jubilee Singers under John Wesley Work Jr. from 1915, and directed the Jubilee Singers from 1928 to 1947. * Ella Sheppard, one of the original members of the Jubilee singers who served as a leader and director of the group. She was a trusted confidante and friend of Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass. * Aldena Windham Davis Smith, later music director at Virginia Union University, and Virginia state education official

Discography

The Fisk Jubilee Singers have produced vast numbers of recordings over their 150 year history. For example, the Discography of American Historical Recordings lists 82 master recordings just from the period 1909 - 1927, made for four major early record companies ( Victor, Columbia, OKeh, and Edison). The group's releases since then include: * ''I Want to Be Ready'' (2021) * ''Celebrating Fisk: the 150th Anniversary Album'' (2020), which was awarded "Best Roots Gospel Album" at the 63rd Grammy Awards in 2021. * ''Roll Jordan Roll'' (2015) * ''Fisk Jubilee Singers'' (2011) * ''Gospel Music Hall of Fame Series - The Fisk Jubilee Singers'' (2009), a remastered collection of recordings from the early 1980s * ''Sacred Journey'' (2007) * ''In Bright Mansions'' (2003) * ''Fisk Jubilee Singers Vol. 3 (1924-1940)'' (1997) * ''Fisk Jubilee Singers Vol. 2 (1915-1920)'' (1997) * ''Fisk Jubilee Singers Vol. 1 (1909-1911)'' (1997) * ''Spirituals'' (1958) * ''The Gold and Blue Album'' (1955)

References

External links

Fisk Jubilee Singers
official website
Fisk Jubilee Singers cylinder recordings
from the

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project The Cylinder Audio Archive is a free digital collection maintained by the University of California, Santa Barbara Library with streaming and downloadable versions of over 10,000 phonograph cylinders manufactured between 1893 and the mid-1920s. The ...

at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

Library.
Fisk University Jubilee Singers
from the Discography of American Historical Recordings created and maintained by the

Library. *Play by Adrian Mitchel
''The Jubilee Singers''
broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 15 May 2010. {{Authority control African-American singers American vocal groups Fisk University Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1871 United States National Medal of Arts recipients Topic Records artists