The Inspirational Choir of the Pentecostal First Born Church of the Living God, later the name was shortened to The Inspirational Choir, were a

gospel choir Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England. The choir was founded by John Francis, who also co-founded the

London Community Gospel Choir The London Community Gospel Choir is Britain's first renowned contemporary "performance touring, inspirational gospel choir band", fusing gospel with multi-genres of music, including pop, soul, jazz, R&B, and classical. It was founded in 198 ...

. Their recording career began as backing vocalists for Madness on their single " Wings Of A Dove", which reached No. 2 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. They later produced their own single, which reached No. 36 in the UK Singles Chart and a studio album, which reached No. 59 in the

UK Album Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

History

The choir was founded in the early 1980s by John Francis, who also the co-founded of the

. Francis was brought up in the church and his father was the

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of a church in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

. The Inspirational Choir of the Pentecostal First Born Church of the Living God first appeared on a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

television gospel talent show called ''Black On Black''. They came second but that led onto Madness wanting the choir to sing

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

on a

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

of "Wings Of A Dove". Francis agreed with the lyrics and also to sing on the demo, and then went onto record the song which climbed to number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number 1 in the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...

subsequently signed the choir up and they recorded ''Clean Heart'', a five-track EP of traditional gospel, which also included the single "Pick Me Up". It was produced by Madness' producers,

Clive Langer Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films ''Still Crazy'' and ''Br ...

and

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on album ...

. In 1985 the choir was signed by

Portrait Records Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Notable artists Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered. History ...

, a sister label of

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...

, and they persuaded the choir to shorten the choir's name to The Inspirational Choir. They released two singles, "

Abide with Me "Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn by Scottish Anglican cleric Henry Francis Lyte. A prayer for God to stay with the speaker throughout life and in death, it was written by Lyte in 1847 as he was dying from tuberculosis. It is most often sung ...

", which reached number 36 in the UK Singles Chart and "I've Got A Feeling", which came from their debut album, '' Sweet Inspiration''. The album reached number 59 in the UK Album Chart. The choir's live appearances included performing at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...

, the Festival Hall, the Bristol Concert Hall, and at the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

. Francis also presented Britain's first gospel TV show ''People Get Ready!'' for UK based artists. In 1989 the choir recorded a live album, ''A Charge To Keep'', although it wasn't until nearly two years later that it was released. By the early 1990s Francis had moved on and founded the Ruach Ministries.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

* '' Sweet Inspiration''. (

Portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

, 1985) Reached No.59 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

*''Higher & Higher'' (CBS, 1986)

Live albums

*''A Charge To Keep'' (Opal Records, June 1991)

EPs

*''Clean Heart'' ( Stiff, 1983)

Singles

*"Pick Me Up" b/w "Do Not Pass Me By" (Stiff, Nov 1983) *"

" b/w "Sweet Holy Spirit" (Portrait, Dec 1984) Reached No. 36 in the

*"I've Got a Feeling" b/w "Right There" (Portrait, Sept 1985) *"One Love (People Get Ready)" b/w "Right There" (Portrait, Feb 1986) *"(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" b/w "Amazing Grace" (Portrait, Nov 1986)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inspirational Choir of the Pentecostal First Born Church of the Living God British gospel music groups London choirs Stiff Records artists CBS Records artists