Category Archives: Citizen of the Month

Biographies of much-loved Sacred Harp singers, past and present.

My Dad, Mr. E. C. Bowen

Posted on September 1, 2017 by

Here is a little story about my dad, Mr. Ezra Clayton “E. C.” Bowen. My dad was born on May 25, 1905, in Woodland, Alabama. He went to a few Sacred Harp singings with his grandmother when he was young … Continue reading →

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Raymond C. Hamrick’s Contributions to Sacred Harp Singing and Scholarship

Posted on December 31, 2016 by

Raymond Cooper Hamrick (1915–2014), of Macon, Georgia, was a well-loved singer, composer, and scholar whose intellectual curiosity, generosity of spirit, and kindness seemed boundless. Perhaps the greatest Sacred Harp composer of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Hamrick imparted … Continue reading →

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Grandpa McWhorter: Singer and Civil Servant

Posted on August 22, 2016 by

The issuance early last year of the reproduction of the 1911 Original Sacred Harp (the James Book) caused me to reflect upon the extraordinary influence that historic old book and its predecessors had on common community life throughout the deep … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizen of the Month, Read the Old Paths | 1 Comment

Sacred Harp’s “Yodeling Schoolgirl”: The Story of “Little Lorraine”

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

Without a doubt, the most recognizable face to Sacred Harp singers today is that of a little girl leading a song, one arm raised and holding in the other a large rectangular songbook. The sepia-toned photograph was chosen by Matt … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizen of the Month | 7 Comments