One of America’s greatest gospel groups, The Stars of Faith was founded in 1958 by five members of the legendary Clara Ward Singers. Faith performed at the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, and Madison Square Garden. They performed and toured with famed poet Langston Hughes’ Broadway play Black Nativity, gave a command performance for the English Royal Family, and appeared in Berlin with the Reverend Martin Luther King in front of a crowd of 20,000. Recorded live during a three-month European tour in 1969 the album represents an apotheosis of Afro-American gospel. Keep On Living features Sadie Keys’ jazzy lead, followed by Frances Steadman’s inventive, subtle rendition of the traditional gospel Anyhow. Kitty Parham storms through her own blues-drenched I’ll Live For Jesus, while Willie De John submerges herself in the beautiful Swing Low. Henrietta Waddy rocks out on What A Happy Time, and De John is back in the lead on an emotional Creation. Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind is swept along by a gospel breeze, while Poor Pilgram of Sorrow showcases Steadman at her best, and Kitty Parham’s God is Not Dead ends the album in a rousing affirmation. Henrietta Waddy introduces the album with, “We’re goin’ to have church for just a little while.” This album may just convert all those non-believers!
