Gospel Music According to the Ladies...Pure Harmony! By: Charlie Griffin So often people have this automatic reaction that Southern Gospel music is a group of men singing with a high tenor and low bass parts. Truthfully, the demographics would support that as there are more men traveling than women. Most would assume mixed groups would be the second grouping as women are in the mix. Yet there is an unappreciated segment of gospel music with just the voices of the ladies…just Pure Harmony. There are many females that have made their mark on gospel music. These icons include Vestal Goodman, Dottie Rambo, Mom Speer, Lily Fern Weatherford, Eva Mae LeFevre, Connie Hopper and the list goes on. All of these women were part of mixed or family singing groups. Over the years, there is a different collection highlighting the talents of the ladies. Many all-female groups made their marks in our genre of music as shown through our music history. From Atlanta, Georgia, the Harmonettes toured extensively singing throughout the south in the sixties, seventies and early eighties. Barbara, Merle and Sue were staples in camp meetings and churches. Their LPs were played often on Christian radio. Many Baptist pastors were quick to recommend them for revivals, concerts and special association events. Smooth harmonies with classic arrangements were their trademarks.
From Alabama, starting in the mid-fifties, The Johnson Sisters (known as the Sweethearts of Gospel Music), embraced a style unlike any other gospel groups of their day. Although their sound was uniquely their own, they were often compared to the popular McGuire Sisters. The original group consisted of Mary, Margaret, Judy and Anna Johnson, daughters of L.C. and Maedeen Johnson. Margaret was seven years younger than Mary. The youngsters in the group, Judy and Anna, are twins born about a year after Margaret. The sisters recorded their first album on the Sing label when the twins were at the ripe old age of nine! “The Sweethearts of Gospel Music” soon became one of the
