Virgil Oliver Stamps (1892 – 1940) was a

shape note Shape notes are a musical notation designed to facilitate congregational and social singing. The notation, introduced in late 18th century England, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools. Shapes were added to the noteh ...

promoter, singer, composer, and

singing school A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the Southern United States. While some singing schools are offered for credit, most are informal program ...

teacher. V. O. Stamps was born in and raised in the Stamps Community in

Upshur County, Texas Upshur County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,892. The county seat is Gilmer. The county is named for Abel P. Upshur, who was U.S. Secretary of State during Presi ...

, and was a key individual in early gospel music publishing. As a youth, he worked with his father in a sawmill, and used his earnings to purchase every gospel songbook he could find. In 1907 he attended the singing school of Richard M. Morgan. Sometime after that, his father bought a small store and V. O. worked there while teaching singing schools until 1914. In 1914 he became a field representative for the

James D. Vaughan James David Vaughan (December 14, 1864 – February 9, 1941) was an American music teacher, composer, song book publisher, the founder of the Vaughan Conservatory of Music and the James D. Vaughan Publishing Company. Biography Vaughan was b ...

Music Company of

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee The city of Lawrenceburg is the county seat of Lawrence County, Tennessee, United States, The largest city on the state's southern border between Chattanooga and Memphis, it lies on the banks of Shoal Creek. The population was 11,633 at the 20 ...

. Stamps worked for the Tennessee Music Company, Samuel Beazley and J. D. Vaughan from 1914–24, including singing in a quartet representing the Vaughan company. Around 1915 he composed his first song, entitled "The Man Behind the Plow". In 1924 he founded the V. O. Stamps Music Company in

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. In that year the first session of the ''V. O. Stamps School of Music'' was held, with a faculty that included Thomas Benton, C. C. Stafford, R. B. Vaughan, and Otis Deaton. In 1924 or 1925 he published ''Harbor Bells'' - his first song book. In 1927, with

J. R. Baxter Jesse Randall Baxter, Jr. (December 8, 1887 – January 29, 1960), known professionally as J.R. Baxter and sometimes referred to as "Pap", was an American Southern Gospel composer and publisher. Biography He was born on December 8, 1887, in Leban ...

, Stamps formed the

Stamps-Baxter The Stamps-Baxter Music Company was an influential publishing company in the shape note Southern gospel music field. The company issued several paperback publications each year with cheap binding and printed on cheap paper. Thus, the older books ...

Music Company, based in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. Stamps organized a

gospel quartet The term Gospel quartet refers to several different traditions of harmony singing. Its origins are varied, including 4-part hymn singing, shape note singing, barbershop quartets, jubilee songs, spirituals, and other Gospel songs. Gospel quartets ...

in which he sang bass. He was a pioneer is the use of radio for promoting

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 ...

music and quartet singing. Radio station KRLD gave the quartet a daily show in 1936, after a large response from their radio performance at the Texas Centennial Exposition.

Work

Virgil Stamps wrote the music and melody for the famous gospel song "

When the Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn and is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstron ...

", in 1937, while

Luther G. Presley Luther G. Presley (March 6, 1887 – December 6, 1974) was a songwriter, musician, and Southern gospel music composer who is credited with writing more than 1,100 hymns. Biography Luther G. Presley was born on Beckett Mountain in Faulkner County ...

wrote the lyrics.L.G. Presley
By BOB SALLEE Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 21, 1998 Among the songs written by V. O. Stamps are "Love Is the Key," "Singing on My Way," and "I Am Going."Much of the information in this article is from Blackwell, Lois S. ''The Wings of the Dove: The Story of Gospel Music in America.'' Norfolk, VA: Donning, 1978, pp. 49-50. V. O. Stamps was inducted into the

Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

in 1997.

References

External links

V. O. Stamps
- from Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:Stamps, Virgil Oliver Shape note 1892 births 1940 deaths American music publishers (people) People from Upshur County, Texas People from Jacksonville, Texas Southern gospel performers