Honoring Johnny Whittaker & The Twenty-First Century Singers

Nashville is set to honor this legendary gospel group on Sunday, September 8th!

If you’ve been subscribing to this newsletter for more than a minute, then you’ve most likely heard me mention Johnny Whittaker and the 21st Century Singers, even if you haven’t read my 2021 feature on them. You can read that feature below.

Johnny is one of the greatest gospel vocalists you may have never heard. He was a mesmerizing soprano who assembled a group with true vocal peers that helped him bring his vision alive. The most famous version of the group was the trio composed of himself, the spectacular Charles Miller and the stately Lula Jordan. Whittaker expanded the group in 1978, first with Nashville Freedom Fighter Frankie Henry and then Everett Drake and a young Fisk-ite named Robin Johnson. Together, they recorded the ahead-of-its-time Sunday Night Fever.

A few months ago, Byron Harvey of the Nashville Gospel and Sacred Music Coalition called and asked me to be a part of planning a tribute for the group at their annual My Soul Looks Back Nashville Gospel Honors event. That event is this Sunday, September 8th at Downtown Presbyterian Church, 154 Rep. John Lewis Way, Nashville at 6:30 pm. If you’re in our city, I hope you’ll join us to honor this group who deserves this and so much more.

Hear the music of the Twenty-First Century Singers