150 years after the original group was founded — and subsequently brought African American music to the world — Nashville’s Fisk Jubilee Singers have just won their first-ever Grammy Award, reports the Tennessean.
At Sunday’s pre-telecast “Premiere Ceremony,” the vocal group’s “Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album)” was named Best Roots Gospel Album, earning the group its first Grammy since forming in 1871.
“Hallelujah,” said Dr. Paul Kwami, who has served as the group’s musical director since 1994.
“I just want to thank God. I thank Shannon Sanders and our wonderful team of engineers. I thank our wonderful guest artists. I thank Curb Records… I’m very grateful to Butch Spyridon and his staff. I thank the Fisk University family. I thank the Ryman Auditorium staff for their wonderful help, and all the fans around the world. Thank you so much, hallelujah.”
When Fisk University treasurer George Leonard White assembled the group in 1871 and booked a tour to raise money for the struggling school, it introduced the world to “slave songs” or “negro spirituals” — music Black Americans made for themselves. Among the songs they helped popularize were “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Steal Away to Jesus.”
In its first four years as a group, the singers toured the U.S. and Europe and performed for Queen Victoria, Mark Twain and President Ulysses S. Grant.
And to be fair to the Recording Academy, the Grammys have only existed for 63 of those 150 years. The group even predates the advent of commercial recordings.
The group’s 1909 recording of “Swing Low” is the earliest known recording of the song, and is now in the Library of Congress.
The winning album draws its recordings from several concerts at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in recent years, featuring guest artists Ruby Amanfu, Keb’ Mo’, Lee Ann Womack, the Fairfield Four, Rod McGaha, Derek Minor, Shannon Sanders, Rodney Atkins, Jimmy Hall and CeCe Winans.
After receiving the award, Kwami said he wanted to “honor those original” students who founded the group in 1871.
