"I Am Born to Preach the Gospel" is a
gospel song recorded in 1928 by
Washington Phillips (18801954; vocals and
zither) in
gospel blues style. His recording is included in the soundtrack of the 2009 movie ''
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?
''My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'' is a 2009 crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog, and written by Herzog and Herbert Golder. The film stars Michael Shannon as Brad McCullam, a mentally unstable man who kills his own mother (played by Grac ...
''.
In some other recordings, the song is titled "I Was Born to Sing the Gospel". The words "I Am" or "I Was" are sometimes omitted from those titles.
The song is likely to have been written by Phillips: it is concerned with a similar subject to his 1927 song "
Denomination Blues", and has lyrical resemblances to it, including the striking phrase "educated fool". The singer compares his own experience:
with that of educated
preachers; and with that of
Nicodemus, who according to the
John 3:1-21 was a ruler of the Jews who visited Jesus by night to learn from Him.
Recordings and performances
* 1928Washington Phillips, 78prm single Columbia
14448-D
* 1988
Marion Williams
Marion Williams (August 29, 1927 – July 2, 1994) was an American gospel singer.
Early years
Marion Williams was born in Miami, Florida, to a religiously devout mother and musically inclined father. She left school when she was nine ...
, "Born to Sing the Gospel" on the album ''Born to Sing the Gospel''
* 1994
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...
, "I Was Born to Sing the Gospel" broadcast performance from the
White House
* 1995Michael Hakanson-Stacy, "Born to Preach the Gospel" on the album ''Pearls & Stones''
* 2013
Michael Roe
Michael Roe (born October 12, 1954) is an American, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is a founding member of the band the 77s and the Lost Dogs and has recorded several solo albums.
Career
Although he has released several solo alb ...
, digital download
References
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Blues songs
Gospel songs
Washington Phillips songs
1928 songs
Columbia Records singles
Nicodemus