Church of the Good Groove: July 2025 Edition
Aretha Franklin, Cassietta George, and Andraé Crouch & The Disciples (with Tramaine!) all make appearances on this month's curated playlist.
Happy Saturday, friends!
Welcome to the new subscribers who joined us this past week. It was heartening to see so much love for Táta Vega in response to last week’s newsletter. If you missed it, take a gander here!
I’ve been on deadline with a few projects, so the next 1985 feature will drop next week. BUT! The brand-new Church of the Good Groove playlist, which I curate monthly for SoulandJazz.com, has gone live, and I wanted to make sure I shared it with you. You can listen by clicking here. Below, you’ll see embedded links for features I’ve written on some of the artists featured this month.
Andraé Crouch & The Disciples—Christian People—7″ Single—1970
Sweet Inspirations—This World—7″ Single—1976 (Disco Version)
The Meditation Singers—I Love My Jesus—7″ Single—1973
Albertina Walker & The Caravans—Put a Little Love in Your Heart—Put a Little Love In Your Heart—1972
The Davis Sisters—Earnestly Praying—Earnestly Praying—1962
Clara Ward—The Right Direction—7″ Single—1966
Dottie Rambo—Swing Low, Sweet Chariot—It’s the Soul Of Me—1968
B.C. & M. Mass Choir—My Sweet Lord—My Sweet Lord—1972
Cassietta George—Let’s Get Together—This Time—1972
The Staple Singers—Let’s Get Together—What the World Needs Now—1968
Isaac Douglas & The Douglas Singers—Lord Have Mercy—Lord Have Mercy— 1969
Jessy Dixon and The Chicago Community Choir—I’ve Already Been to the Water—Hello Sunshine—1969
Sweet Spirit—I Just Want to Thank You—Sweet Spirit—1974
The Stan Lee Choral Ensemble—I’ve Got to Love—Save Us Lord—1974
Brother Henderson’s “Fabulous” Watts Community Choir—Keep On, Keeping On—We Need More Love—1970
Los Angeles Community Choir—I’m So Thankful—… Is Here—1971
The Chances—People Wake Up Before It’s Too Late—7″ Single—1971
Aretha Franklin—A Change is Gonna Come—I Never Loved a Man—1968
In Case You Missed These!
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It was the summer of 1983, just before I entered the fourth grade. My mother’s boyfriend had the television on Jim and Tammy Bakker’s PTL Network, which it often was in our sphere. The woman on the screen, however, looked and sounded unlike anything I’d ever seen on the station before. With her mass of black hair that fell down her back and her bracelet…
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So excellent!