The Best of the Davis Sisters is a double LP/single CD album by the famous Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

 gospel group, released in 1978 on LP (see 1978 in music

1978 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....

) and in 2001 on CD (see 2001 in music

2001 in music

See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....

). It collects 24 of their recordings made for Savoy Records

Savoy Records

Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...

 between 1955 and 1968. Popular tracks are “Twelve Gates to the City”, “Sinner Man Where You Gonna Run To”, “Blessed Quietness”, “We Need Power”, “He’ll Understand and Say Well Done”. The lead vocals are shared between contralto

Contralto

Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...

 Ruth “Baby Sis” Davis, mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano

A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...

 Jackie Verdell

Jackie Verdell

Jackie Verdell was an American gospel singer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Musical career:After leaving high school, she joined the The Davis Sisters in 1955, at the start of their tenure with Herman Lubinsky and Ozzie Cadena's record label Savoy Records of Newark, New Jersey...

, and occasionally pianist Curtis Dublin.

Song History

• Recorded 9 February 1955: “Twelve Gates to the City”, “You’ve Got the River of Jordan to Cross”, “He’ll Understand and Say Well Done”, “He’s My King”
• Recorded 9 August 1955: “Won’t It Be Wonderful There”, “Rain In Jerusalem”
• Recorded 17 April 1956: “Plant My Feet on Higher Ground”, “Keeping Me Alive”
• Recorded 25 January 1957: “Sinner Man Where You Gonna Run To”, “Shine on Me”
• Recorded 29 May 1957: “There Is a Tree on Each Side of the River”, “When I Get Inside”
• Recorded 23 August 1957: “My Wonderful Counselor”
• Recorded 21 January 1958” “Jonah”, What He’s Done for Me”, “Almost Home”
• Recorded 17 June 1959: “We Need Power”, “Jesus Gave Me Water”
• Recorded 2 July 1959: “Bye and Bye”
• Recorded 16 May 1962: “He’s My Precious King”
• Recorded 23 May 1962: “Tired”
• Recorded c. 1967: “I Believe I’ll Go Back Home”
• Recorded c. 1968: “Blessed Quietness”

Side one

1. "Twelve Gates to the City" – 2:50
2. "Sinner Man Where You Gonna Run To" – 2:45
3. "I Want to Be More Like Jesus" – 2:25
4. "You Got the River of Jordan to Cross" – 2:40
5. "When I Get Inside" – 2:50
6. "Shine on Me" – 5:27

Side two

1. "Plant My Feet on Higher Ground" – 2:30
2. "He’s My King" – 3:15
3. "Rain in Jerusalem" – 2:35
4. "Blessed Quietness" – 2:43
5. "What He’s Done for Me" – 2:15
6. "Jonah" – 1:55

Side three

1. "(Jesus) He’s My Precious King" – 5:06
2. "We Need Power" – 2:40
3. "Tired" – 3:10
4. "Bye and Bye" – 5:20
5. "Jesus Gave Me Water" – 3:21
6. "I Believe I’ll Go Back Home" – 2:50

Side four

1. "He’ll Understand and Say Well Done" – 3:15
2. "There Is a Tree on Each Side of the River" – 3:00
3. "Keeping Me Alive" – 2:45
4. "My Wonderful Counselor" – 2:45
5. "Won’t It Be Wonderful There" – 2:55
6. "Almost Home" – 2:40

Personnel

• Ruth Davis – lead vocals, background vocals
• Jackie Verdell
  Jackie Verdell
  Jackie Verdell was an American gospel singer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Musical career:After leaving high school, she joined the The Davis Sisters in 1955, at the start of their tenure with Herman Lubinsky and Ozzie Cadena's record label Savoy Records of Newark, New Jersey...
  
   – lead vocals, background vocals
• Curtis Dublin – lead vocals, piano
  Piano
  The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
  
  
• Thelma Davis – background vocals
• Alfreda Davis – background vocals
• Audrey Davis – background vocals
• Cynthia Young – background vocals
• Lela Dargan – background vocals
• unknown – guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  
• unknown - bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• unknown - organ
  Organ (music)
  The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
  
  
• unknown - percussion, drums

Production

• Producer: not credited, but probably Ozzie Cadena
  Ozzie Cadena
  Oscar "Ozzie" Cadena was an American record producer with Savoy Records and Prestige Records who recorded gospel and jazz music in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and helped popularize jazz music in Los Angeles.-Background:...
  
  
• Executive Producer: Fred Mendelson
• Recording location(s): Newark, New Jersey
  Newark, New Jersey
  Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
  
   and/or New York City, New York
• Engineers: uncertain, possibly including Rudy Van Gelder
  Rudy Van Gelder
  Rudy Van Gelder is an American recording engineer specializing in jazz.Often regarded as one of the most important recording engineers in music history, Van Gelder has recorded several thousand jazz sessions, including many widely recognized as classics, in a career spanning more than half a century...
  
  

External links

• The Best of the Davis Sisters available from Savoy/Malaco Records
• Savoy Records Album Index