M.C. Records artist: Marie Knight - The Gospel Truth Live - New release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The Gospel Truth Live, from Marie Knight and it's rich. This performance was recorded on October 19, 2007 at Margaret A. Hart '35 Gospel fest at the Church Street Center in North Adams Massachusetts. Unfortunately, Knight passed in 2009 after a stroke and a bout with pneumonia. Fortunately, these tracks are now available for the public. Opening with Rev. Gary Davis' I Belong To The Band, Marie Knight is pure gospel with strong piano backing from Dave Keyes. Excellent! On Sister Rosetta Tharpe's Beams Of Heaven, Knight shows just how tightly the blues is bound to gospel music. Keyes piano work is terrific and Knight is off the charts. Davis' 12 Gates To The City has a great swing and Knight and Keyes are really rockin'! Knight's rework of Anna Warner's Jesus Loves Me, shows not only pure talent but pure love for the Lord and her work. Another Davis track, Let Us Get Together, has a super gospel swing and exploits the richness of Knight's vocals. Wrapping the release is a powerful cover of the traditional, For Thine Is the Kingdom, a truly excellent closer. if you are even slightly inclined to hear the complimentary work of Tharpe and Davis as performed by Knight, this is a strong release.

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Marie Knight Live Recording Coming March 23

Gospel Legend Marie Knight's The Gospel Truth Live The Posthumous Release Streets March 23 Northport N.Y. - M.C. Records is proud to be releasing a live record by Marie Knight on March 23. The posthumous  The Gospel Truth Live (MC-0084) was recorded October 19, 2007 at Margaret A. Hart '35 Gospel Fest at the Church Street Center in North Adams MA. Now, over a decade later, that revelatory performance finally sees the light of day on this brilliant compilation to be released on March 23. Next month, Sister Rosetta Tharpe will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Marie was Sister's musical partner for over a decade during the hight of Sister's fame. A full bio of Marie Knight can be found on her website, www.marieknight.com. Scroll down to listen to the recording via Airplay Direct.  “This is one the world must hear. It is so needed in times like these.” Mavis Staples Click the Cover to Listen & Download "Here is 'Madame' Marie Knight, a star of Golden Age gospel, in all the fierceness and fragility of her late-career voice, singing old and new material. With The Gospel Truth Live, M.C.  Records has given us another treasure. Gayle Wald "The timing for the release of The Gospel Truth Live couldn’t be more perfect as the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced in December 2017 that it would be posthumously inducting Sister Rosetta Tharpe into the hallowed hall in April 2018 as an early influence on artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Bob Dylan. In a way, it’s also an acknowledgement for Knight’s musical contributions since she collaborated professionally and served as a confidante with Tharpe at the height of her popularity in the early 1950s. In addition two plays are currently in production about the music and relationship of Marie Knight and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. "Marie and Rosetta" is a musical that was produced by The Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. "Shout Sister Shout The Musical" debut at The Pasadena Playhouse in January of 2017. On October 19, 2007, they all braved the rainy weather to witness one of the last living artists from the Golden Age of Gospel (1940 – 1960).  In this rootsy, organic concert, she breezed through the songbooks of Tharpe – arguably, the most influential female gospel act of the 1940s - and also the Rev. Gary Davis – who made a huge impact on the 1960s folk movement - and along the way, Knight shared brief anecdotes on the highs and lows of her earthly walk, including the fire that killed her two children and her mother. Within the span of 60 minutes, she showcased not only her thunderous contralto but also her commanding personality, sardonic humor and her unabashed evangelism. Singer/pianist Dave Keys, who has played with artists as varied as Chuck Berry and Tanya Tucker, was Knight’s sole musician for the get-together. His skillful, buoyant playing kept the spirit high even on ballads.                       Marie Knight with Humphrey Lyttleton's Band, 1958, London U.K. Terry Cryer Archive UK Madame Marie Knight was born Marie Roach on June 1, 1920 in Sanford, FL but she was raised in Newark, NJ. She first recorded with The Sunset Four (Sunset Jubilee Singers). In 1946 Tharpe saw Marie Knight perform at a Mahalia Jackson concert in New York. Tharpe recognized a special talent in Knight. They toured the gospel circuit for a number of years, during which they recorded hits such as "Up Above My Head" and “Precious Memories.”  In January 2002, on a cold, bright Saturday morning, Marie entered a recording studio to pay tribute to her old singing partner, Rosetta Tharpe, doing a solo version of their old hit “Didn’t It Rain.” [Listen the fruits of that session on Shout, Sister, Shout! (MC-0050).] That session—and Marie’s continuing vitality as a singer and performer—led to her present collaboration with producer Mark Carpentieri. Marie’s last studio recording was the Gospel songs of Rev. Gary Davis titled “Let Us Get Together” (MC-0058). Larry Campbell (Dixie Hummingbirds, Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Elvis Costello) is playing all the stringed instruments. That release came out on  June 26, 2007. It marked Marie’s first full-length recording in over 20 years. The recording was named a top 10 blues release by NPR and Marie was featured in "Living Blues," "No- Depression," & "Dirty Linen."  Finally, Knight died on a bright, warm Sunday, August 30, 2009. Her rainy days were finally done. However, her music continues to shower us with her faith and talent.  The Gospel Truth Live is in a style and manner that would make both Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe very proud. “One of the reasons I wanted to release the album is because you really get to see who Marie is, all sides of her,” says Mark Carpentieri. “The funny side, the very serious side, the very spiritual side. It’s like in her own words in a way.”   ***

June 23 - River and Roots Festival, Berryville Virginia

July 13 - Summer Arts Festival, Huntington NY

July 16 - Mountain Stage Taping, Charleston WV

August 2  -  Music City Roots Taping, Nashville TN

Sept. 1 - Joe Wilson Memorial Festival, Galax, Virginia

Sept. 2 - Song of The Mountains Taping, Marion VA

October 14 - Richmond Folk Festival, Richmond VA

June 23 - River and Roots Festival, Berryville Virginia

July 13 - Summer Arts Festival, Huntington NY

July 16 - Mountain Stage Taping, Charleston WV

August 2  -  Music City Roots Taping, Nashville TN

Sept. 1 - Joe Wilson Memorial Festival, Galax, Virginia

Sept. 2 - Song of The Mountains Taping, Marion VA

October 14 - Richmond Folk Festival, Richmond VA

June 23 - River and Roots Festival, Berryville Virginia

July 13 - Summer Arts Festival, Huntington NY

July 16 - Mountain Stage Taping, Charleston WV

August 2  -  Music City Roots Taping, Nashville TN

Sept. 1 - Joe Wilson Memorial Festival, Galax, Virginia

Sept. 2 - Song of The Mountains Taping, Marion VA

October 14 - Richmond Folk Festival, Richmond VA

Let Us Get Together - Marie Knight

Marie Knight (June 1, 1925 – August 30, 2009) was an American gospel and R&B singer.
She was born Marie Roach in Sanford, Florida but grew up in Newark, New Jersey. Her father was a construction worker and the family were members of the Church of God in Christ. She first toured as a singer in 1939 with Frances Robinson, an evangelist. She married preacher Albert Knight in 1941; they were later divorced.

In 1946, she made her first recordings, for Signature Records, as a member of The Sunset Four. Shortly afterwards, Sister Rosetta Tharpe saw her singing at the Golden Gate Auditorium in Harlem, on a bill with Mahalia Jackson, and invited Knight to join her on tour. Tharpe recognized "something special" in Marie's contralto voice. Knight continued to record and perform with Tharpe through the 1940s, sometimes acting out the parts of "the Saint and the Sinner", with Tharpe as the saint and Knight as the sinner. Among their successes were the songs "Beams of Heaven", "Didn't it Rain", and "Up Above My Head", recorded for Decca Records. "Up Above My Head", credited jointly to both singers, reached # 6 on the US R&B chart at the end of 1948, and Knight's solo version of "Gospel Train" reached # 9 on the R&B chart in 1949.

She left Tharpe to go solo around 1951, and put together a backing group, The Millionaires (Thomasina Stewart, Eleonore King and Roberta Jones), with whom she recorded the 1956 album Songs of the Gospel. She also began recording secular R&B music in the late 1950s, for various labels including Decca, Mercury, Baton, Okeh, Diamond and Addit. Her duet with Rex Garvin, credited as Marie & Rex, "I Can't Sit Down" released on the Carlton label, reached # 94 on the pop chart in 1959. In the late 1950s she also toured Britain as a guest of Humphrey Lyttelton. In 1961 she recorded the single "Come Tomorrow", which was later a hit for Manfred Mann. Knight's version of "Cry Me a River" reached # 35 on the U.S. Billboard R&B charts in 1965. She toured with Brook Benton, the Drifters, and Clyde McPhatter, and regularly reunited onstage with Rosetta Tharpe. She remained friends with Tharpe, and helped arrange her funeral in 1973. In 1975, having given up performing secular music, she recorded another gospel album, Marie Knight: Today.

In 2002, Knight made a comeback in the gospel world, recording for a tribute album to Tharpe. She also released a full-length album, Let Us Get Together, on her manager's label in 2007. She died in Harlem of complications from pneumonia, on August 30, 2009.
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Her Life - Marie Knight

She was born Marie Roach in Sanford, Florida but grew up in Newark, New Jersey. Her father was a construction worker and the family were members of the Church of God in Christ. She first toured as a singer in 1939 with Frances Robinson, an evangelist. She married preacher Albert Knight in 1941; they were later divorced.

In 1946, she made her first recordings, for Signature Records, as a member of The Sunset Four. Shortly afterwards, Sister Rosetta Tharpe saw her singing at the Golden Gate Auditorium in Harlem, on a bill with Mahalia Jackson, and invited Knight to join her on tour. Tharpe recognized "something special" in Marie's contralto voice. Knight continued to record and perform with Tharpe through the 1940s, sometimes acting out the parts of "the Saint and the Sinner", with Tharpe as the saint and Knight as the sinner. Among their successes were the songs "Beams of Heaven", "Didn't it Rain", and "Up Above My Head", recorded for Decca Records. "Up Above My Head", credited jointly to both singers, reached # 6 on the US R&B chart at the end of 1948, and Knight's solo version of "Gospel Train" reached # 9 on the R&B chart in 1949.

She left Tharpe to go solo around 1951, and put together a backing group, The Millionaires (Thomasina Stewart, Eleonore King and Roberta Jones), with whom she recorded the 1956 album Songs of the Gospel. She also began recording secular R&B music in the late 1950s, for various labels including Decca, Mercury, Baton, Okeh, Diamond and Addit. Her duet with Rex Garvin, credited as Marie & Rex, "I Can't Sit Down" released on the Carlton label, reached # 94 on the pop chart in 1959. In the late 1950s she also toured Britain as a guest of Humphrey Lyttelton. In 1961 she recorded the single "Come Tomorrow", which was later a hit for Manfred Mann. Knight's version of "Cry Me a River" reached # 35 on the U.S. Billboard R&B charts in 1965. She toured with Brook Benton, the Drifters, and Clyde McPhatter, and regularly reunited onstage with Rosetta Tharpe. She remained friends with Tharpe, and helped arrange her funeral in 1973. In 1975, having given up performing secular music, she recorded another gospel album, Marie Knight: Today.

In 2002, Knight made a comeback in the gospel world, recording for a tribute album to Tharpe. She also released a full-length album, Let Us Get Together, on her manager's label in 2007. She died in Harlem of complications from pneumonia, on August 30, 2009.
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