No matter how late people stay for the mainstage performances on Saturday night 鈥� with maybe an after-party thrown in for good measure 鈥� those who are serious MusicFest goers never show up late the next morning.
Come hangover or high water, they know it would be a sacrilege to miss the traditional gospel/spiritual collaboration that starts the Sunday programming with a righteous 90 minutes of soul-uplifting music. And this year鈥檚 session promises to be particularly remarkable thanks to a rare appearance by the Soul Stirrers, gospel legends whose unparalleled legacy goes all the way back to 1929.
鈥淚t would be almost impossible to overstate the importance and influence of the Soul Stirrers,鈥� explains David Vest, a renowned boogie-woogie pianist whose 50-pluse years in the business have given him an exceptional grasp of the history of American popular music.
鈥淢ost people have only heard of them because Sam Cooke was one of their lead singers before he launched his secular career, but the Stirrers have had great singers before and after Sam, and were incredible innovators who defined the sound of modern gospel.鈥�
Amongst other changes they pioneered the shift from a quartet to quintet approach 鈥� thus allowing consistent four-part harmony that supported alternating lead singers. They were also among the first gospel groups to evolve from a cappella singing to incorporating an instrumental backup.
Despite the overtly religious aspect of gospel, it鈥檚 as much about the music as the message: that incredible beat and energy has long since flooded out from the church to influence secular music, from blues and R&B to rock and pop.
It鈥檚 easy to hear a lot of 鈥渃hurch鈥� in everyone from Ray Charles to the Talking Heads, so it shouldn鈥檛 be surprising that non-religious audiences can so readily experience sheer joy when a fervently performed gospel song takes them to the amen corner. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 fake this stuff, and the audience knows when the performers are really feeling it,鈥� says Vest. 鈥淭he music is irresistible, but the level of the songwriting is also impressive. Precious Lord, Take My Hand is as good as anything Bob Dylan ever wrote.鈥�
As if to prove the near-universality of gospel鈥檚 influence, The Soul Stirrers will be sharing the stage with a truly eclectic group of musicians. Rita Coolidge will be there at the request of the Stirrers鈥� bandleader, who used to sing in church with Coolidge a few decades ago.
Another good fit will be roots-country duo Pharis and Jason Romero, whose old-timey repertoire 鈥� bedrock tunes about hard lives, loss and love 鈥� has lots in common with the warmth and wisdom of gospel. And temporarily making the shift from sinners to saints will be the hard-rocking Weber Brothers, who as teens were schooled by rockabilly icon Ronnie Hawkins and have since gone on to become road warriors seasoned by nearly two decades of touring across North America and Europe.
And if you鈥檙e wise you will also check out the Songs of Sam Cooke performance on Saturday at the Grierson Stage, a chance to immerse yourself in the remarkable legacy of one of America鈥檚 most beloved singers.
Anchored by the Soul Stirrers 鈥� whose current lead vocalist, Willie Rogers, is a gifted soloist who ably captures the sweet sexiness of Sam 鈥� the session also includes Canada鈥檚 renowned Colin Linden, Austin鈥檚 master of the Telecaster Redd Volkaert, the country-roots-meets-Western-swing guitar stylings of the legendary Bill Kirchen, and the gorgeous-toned soul/R&B vocalist Ania Soul from Toronto.
Oh, and the guy at the piano will be none other than David Vest, the honky tonk hero who once opened for Roy Orbison in 1961 and later toured with Bo Diddley, but now says that playing with the Soul Stirrers will be the high-water mark of his storied career: 鈥淚 just can鈥檛 believe I鈥檓 gonna get to be on the same stage as those guys!鈥�
鈥揜obert Moyes is a Victoria-based arts journalist with a particular interest in music
