Jake Hess (December 24, 1927 – January 4, 2004) was an American
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
-winning
southern gospel
Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...
singer.
[McNeil, W.K., Ed. (2010). ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music''. Routledge. . Pp. 201-202.]
Life
The son of "a sharecropper who was a shape-note singing-school teacher," Hess was born in Mt. Pisgah,
[ near Athens,][ in ]Limestone County, Alabama
Limestone County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 103,570. Its county seat is Athens. The county is named after Limestone Creek. Limestone County is included in the Huntsville, AL Metro ...
. His parents were Stovall and Lydia Hess. He was the youngest of 12 children.
Hess's entry on the Encyclopedia of Alabama's website says of his name: "His parents did not officially name him, so the attending physician entered his name as 'Man Child' Hess in official documents."
When he registered with the draft board in Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
, he gave his name as "William Jesse Hess." In 1997, when Hess was preparing to get a passport to travel overseas, he discovered that his birth certificate actually read Manchild Hess. His son, Jake Jr., named his recording company Manchild Records in honor of his father.
Career
Hess' career started at the age of 16, when he joined the popular John Daniel Quartet in 1943,[ making his recorded debut on "Just a Prayer Away". (He had previously sung with Louie Auten and the Tennessee Valley Boys.)][ After that, he sang with three of his brothers as the Hess Brothers Quartet. He also sang with the Sunny South Quartet and their rival, the Melody Masters Quartet. In the latter part of his life, Hess sang with ]The Old Friends Quartet
The Old Friends Quartet was a vocal group that sang Southern gospel music. They released all their albums with Spring House Productions. In 2002, their DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is ...
which was featured on the Bill Gaither Homecoming videos.
Statesmen Quartet
Hess sang lead with the Statesmen Quartet
The Statesmen Quartet (also known as Hovie Lister and The Statesmen Quartet) were an American southern gospel quartet founded in 1948 by Baptist Minister Hovie Lister. Along with the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet were considered the ...
from 1948 until 1963.[ Their recordings included projects long-term with RCA Victor. In 1977-1978 Hess reunited with the surviving members of ]The Statesmen Quartet
The Statesmen Quartet (also known as Hovie Lister and The Statesmen Quartet) were an American southern gospel quartet founded in 1948 by Baptist Minister Hovie Lister. Along with the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet were considered the ...
, Hovie Lister
Hovie Franklin Lister (September 17, 1926 – December 28, 2001) was an American gospel musician, Baptist Minister, and politician. Lister was best known for his time as the front man of the Statesmen Quartet, perhaps the most well known and renow ...
, Doy Ott, and Rosie Rozell to record three projects, including "Songs Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
Loved". The reunited Statesmen sung at Elvis's funeral. In the fall of 1980, Hess, Lister, and Rozell assembled a new group with James Blackwood and J.D. Sumner
John Daniel Sumner (November 19, 1924 – November 16, 1998) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and music promoter noted for his bass voice, and his innovation in the Christian and Gospel music fields. Sumner sang in five quartets and wa ...
. As a result, the southern gospel group the Masters V
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
was born. They toured from 1981 until 1988 when illnesses prompted several of the members to retire from full-time singing.
The Imperials
Upon leaving the Statesmen Quartet at the end of 1963, Hess formed his "dream" group, the Imperials
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...
.[ Although they were not immediately accepted by his peers because of their innovative use of electric guitars and drums, they went on to become pioneers in ]Contemporary Christian Music
Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
, and would eventually be inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame
The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music.
Inductees
This is an incompl ...
. They backed Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
from 1966 to 1971. Elvis has been quoted as noting Hess as his favorite singer. Hess left the Imperials in 1967 due to health problems.
The Jake Hess Sound
Hess also sang with his children, Becky and Chris, in a group he named "The Jake Hess Sound". In the late 1970s, Hess and his son Chris were featured singers on the television broadcasts of evangelist Dr. Gene Scott
William Eugene Scott (August 14, 1929 – February 21, 2005) was an American minister and teacher who served for almost 50 years as a pastor and broadcaster in Los Angeles, California. He pastored the Faith Center and Wescott Christian Center ...
.
With Elvis Presley
Jake Hess was an idol of Elvis Presley, and had a major influence on Presley's career. As a teenager, Presley would attend gospel sings and Hess's style so impressed Elvis, that Presley would emulate it for the remainder of his life. Hess sang backup on several albums recorded by Elvis, and also sang at Presley's funeral in 1977.
Solo career
Jake Hess was a noted soloist in his own right. He had won several Grammy Awards on RCA Victor as a solo artist. His last 12 years, he appeared on the Gaither Homecoming
''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither. To date, the ''Gaither Homecoming'' t ...
concerts and videos. These videos featured Hess from noted concerts in the U.S. at the Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
, the Ryman Auditorium
Ryman Auditorium (also known as Grand Ole Opry House and Union Gospel Tabernacle) is a 2,362-seat live-performance venue located at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, in Nashville, Tennessee. It is best known as the home of the ''Grand Ole Opry'' fr ...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
an islands and Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
Television
Hess had ''The Jake Hess Show'' on WLAC
WLAC (1510 AM) – branded ''Talkradio 98.3 & 1510'' – is a commercial talk radio radio station licensed to serve Nashville, Tennessee. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station covers the Nashville metropolitan area. The WLAC studios are located i ...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
and performed in the ''Old Time Singing Convention''.
Family
Hess and Joyce McWaters were married on October 5, 1952. They had three children.[
Jake Hess, Jr. has become a well-known southern gospel songwriter, in addition to being married to Judy Martin of ]The Martins
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
. In 1989 Jake's nephew Steve Hess & Eugene Baker (Hess & Baker, Skylite/Sing) were in Nashville to record several segments on ''Bobby Jones Gospel'' (BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
Network). Jake accompanied them to the studio and liked what he heard. While they were visiting with Jake in Brentwood, he asked whether they would be interested in forming with him a new version of Jake Hess & Friends. The group would ultimately consist of Jake, Steve, Eugene & Chris, Jake's son. They started rehearsals in Jake's family room and started touring later in the year. There were several dates in Missouri and Florida, but Jake determined that the traveling was going to be more demanding than he anticipated, so by 1990 the tours were put on hold with the possibility of doing something with television.
Jake Hess II
continues the family's musical heritage by singing in the highly acclaime
The Voices of Lee
part of Lee University
Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school grew ...
in Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neigh ...
.
Book
In 1995, Hess's autobiography, ''Nothin' but Fine: The Music and the Gospel According to Jake Hess'',[ was published by Buckland Press.
]
Death
Hess died January 4, 2004, in Opelika, Alabama
Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is ...
after suffering a heart attack December 14, 2003, just days after a performance in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
He was survived by a daughter, two sons, 10 grandchildren, one great-grandchild and a sister.[
]
Awards and honors
*1968: Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best Sacred Performance for "Beautiful Isle Of Somewhere"[
*1969: Grammy for Best Sacred Performance (Non-Classical) for "Ain't That Beautiful Singing"][
*1970: Grammy for Best Sacred Performance (Musical) for "Everything Is Beautiful"
*1981: Grammy for Best Gospel Performance, Traditional for "The Masters V"
*1987: Inducted into the ]Gospel Music Association
The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...
's Gospel Music Hall of Fame
The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music.
Inductees
This is an incompl ...
*1995: Inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame
The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, first conceived by the Muscle Shoals Music Association in the early 1980s, was created by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Board, which then saw to its Phase One construction of a facility after a statewide referendu ...
, with a John Herbert Orr Pioneer Award[ Alabama Music Hall of Fame inductees]
*1997: Inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Association
The Southern Gospel Music Association (''SGMA'') is a non-profit corporation formed as an association of southern gospel music singers, songwriters, fans, and industry workers. Membership is acquired and maintained through payment of annual dues. T ...
's Hall of Fame.
*1998: Inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame as a member of The Imperials
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...
Discography
Solo albums
*1962: ''The Great Voice of Jake Hess'' (BibleTone Records)
*1968: ''The Incomparable Jake Hess'' (RCA Victor)
*1968: ''Beautiful Isle of Somewhere'' (RCA Camden)
*1969: ''Ain't That Beautiful Singing'' (RCA)
*1969: ''Spiritual Reflections'' (RCA)
*1970: ''Everything Is Beautiful''
*1981: ''I'm Gonna Keep On Singing'' (Skylite)
*1996: ''Terry & Jake'' (Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw (born September 2, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League (NFL). Since 1994, he has been a television sports analyst an ...
) (Chordant aither Series
*2001: ''All of Me'' (Cathedral)
*2005: ''Gotta Get a God Said'' (Crossroads Records) (released posthumously)
With The Statesmen
*1957: ''The Statesmen Quartet with Hovie Lister''
*1958: ''The Statesmen Quartet Sings with Hovie Lister''
*1958: ''The Bible Told Me So''
*1959: ''Hymns''
*1959: ''I'll Meet You By the River''
*1959: ''Get Away Jordan''
*1960: ''Mansion Over the Hilltop''
*1960: ''On Stage''
*1960: ''Something To Shout About''
*1960: ''Encores''
*1960: ''Peace, O Lord''
*1960: ''Statesmen Blackwood Favorites''
*1961: ''Out West''
*1961: ''Through the States''
*1962: ''Stop, Look & Listen for the Lord''
*1962: ''Camp-Meeting Hymns''
*1962: ''Singing Time in Dixie''
*1963: ''The Mystery of His Way''
*1963: ''Message in the Sky''
*1963: ''A Gospel Concert''
*1992: ''I Surrender All''
*1992: ''The Bible Told Me So''
*1992: ''Get Away Jordan''
*1992: ''Jubilee's A Coming''
*1992: ''Revival''
*1992: ''O What a Savior''
*1993: ''O My Lord What a Time''
*1997: ''Hovie Lister & The Statesmen''
Jake Hess and the Imperials
Albums with Elvis Presley
*1966 ''How Great Thou Art
"How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine f ...
''
With the Masters V
*1981: ''The Masters V'' (Skylite Records)
*1982: ''O What a Savior'' (Skylite)
*1982: ''The Legendary Masters V''
*1983: ''Featuring…''
*1983: ''Live at the Joyful Noise''
*1984: ''Thru the Years''
*1984: ''Good Things''
*1985: ''The Master's Hymns''
Album with The Talleys
*2007 ''Stages'' (Crossroads Records) (posthumous duet)
Video
*1994: ''Hovie Lister And The Sensational Statesmen: An American Classic''
*1998: ''Jus' Jake And A Few Close Friends''
*2002: ''Old Friends Quartet: Encore''
*2004: ''A Tribute To Jake Hess''
Gaither Homecoming Performances
*1991: ''Homecoming''
*1995: ''All Day Singin' with Dinner on the Ground'' "Waiting For His Return"
*1995: ''Revival'' "Prayer Is The Key To Heaven (But Faith Unlocks The Door)"
*1995: ''Ryman Gospel Reunion'' "Goodbye, World, Goodbye," "You And Me, Jesus," "Sunday Meetin' Time"
*1998: ''Atlanta Homecoming'' "Where Could I Go?"
*1998: ''Down By The Tabernacle'' "Old Camp Meeting Days," "Come Sunday"
*1998: ''Hawaiian Homecoming'' "I Don't Think, I Know," "Jesus, I Believe What You Said," "Over The Moon"
*1998: ''Marching To Zion'' "When He Calls, I'll Fly Away"
*1998: ''Rivers Of Joy'' "I Came To Praise The Lord"
*1998: ''Singin' With The Saints'' "He Keeps Me Singing," "I Know Where I Am Now"
*1999: ''Kennedy Center Homecoming'' "Old Friends." "It Is No Secret"
*1999: ''Singin' '' In My Soul "Wore Out"
*1999: ''Sweet, Sweet Spirit'' "I'm Telling The World About His Love"
*2000: ''Harmony in the Heartland'' "Thanks For Sunshine," "Move That Mountain," "Get Away, Jordan"
*2000: ''Irish Homecoming'' "No Fishin'"
*2000: ''Memphis Homecoming'' "Give The World A Smile," "Up Above My Head"
*2000: ''Whispering Hope'' "Doesn't Get Any Better Than This"
*2001: ''Christmas... A Time for Joy'' "White Christmas"
*2001: ''Journey To The Sky'' "He Knows Just What I Need"
*2001: ''London Homecoming'' "Too Much To Gain To Lose," "O, How I Love Jesus/To Me, It's So Wonderful"
*2001: ''What A Time'' "Oh, What A Time"
*2002: ''Freedom Band'' "I Shall Not Be Moved"
*2002: ''I'll Fly Away'' "So Many Reasons"
*2002: ''New Orleans Homecoming'' "When The Saints Go Marching In"
*2003: ''A Gospel Bluegrass Homecoming, Volume 1'' "Sunday Meetin' Time"
*2003: ''Heaven'' "Beautiful Isle Of Somewhere"
*2003: ''Red Rocks Homecoming'' "I've Never Loved Him Better Than Today"
*2003: ''Rocky Mountain Homecoming'' "I Just Love Old People"
*2004: ''A Tribute: Howard & Vestal Goodman'' "I'm Winging My Way Back Home"
*2004: ''Build a Bridge'' "Get Away, Jordan"
*2004: ''Dottie Rambo
Dottie Rambo (March 2, 1934 – May 11, 2008) was an American gospel singer and songwriter. She was a Grammy winning solo artist and multiple Dove award-winning artist. Along with ex-husband Buck and daughter Reba, she formed the award-winnin ...
with The Homecoming Friends'' "Too Much To Gain To Lose"
*2004: ''We Will Stand'' "Sweeter As The Days Go By"
*2005: ''Hymns'' "Without Him"
References
External links
The Imperials Official Site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, Jake
1927 births
2004 deaths
American gospel singers
Grammy Award winners
Singers from Alabama
Musicians from Columbus, Georgia
People from Limestone County, Alabama
People from Opelika, Alabama
Southern gospel performers
20th-century American singers