The Rit(t)man Baptist Singers

This item is in effect a counterpoint to the recent post of commercial gospel music on my main blog. Featured there were recordings from the Rangers Quartet from 1939, the Blue Ridge Quartet from 1950, and the Foggy River Boys from 1954-55.

This privately pressed 78, in contrast, comes from a church group largely unaffected by the trends that influenced the bigger groups and innocent of the showmanship that they increasingly displayed.

That is not to imply that the two songs here are poorly presented - far from it. The performance is secure and the effect is both impressive and charming.

The record comes from Rittman, Ohio, a town of 6,000 people about 15 miles southwest of Akron. (The label says "Ritman," but that is almost certainly a misprint because I found the record not far from the city with two "t"s.) Today there is no Rittman Baptist Church, but there is a Rittman Community Free Will Baptist Church (see below), and it or a predecessor may be the source.

The 78 speed was largely obsolete by the late 50s, which would suggest that this record comes from the mid-50s at the latest. I have to say, though, that my own sense is that this particular record may have been pressed in the anachronistic format as late as the early 60s. The sound is good for a private recording.

Rittman Community Free Will Baptist Church