Pioneer Virginia gospel/pop quartet of the '30s and '40s. Calling their innovative approach to sacred hymns "jubilee" singing, the Golden Gate Quartet, propelled by Willie Johnson and William Langford, enjoyed massive acceptance far outside the church. Their smooth Mills Brothers-influenced harmonies made the Gates naturals for pop crossover success, and they began recording for Victor in 1937. National radio broadcasts and an appearance on John Hammond's 1938 "Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall made them coast-to-coast favorites. By 1941 the Gates were recording for Columbia minus Langford, and movie appearances were frequent: Star Spangled Rhythm, Hollywood Canteen, and Hit Parade of 1943, to name a few. Some experiments with R&B material didn't pan out during the late '40s, and Johnson defected to the Jubilaires in 1948. The group emigrated to France in 1959; led by veteran bass singer Orlando Wilson, the Golden Gate Quartet's vocal blend is as powerful as ever.
Vol. 1 - 1937-1938 (1996)
01 - Golden Gate gospel train
02 - Gabriel blows his horn
03 - Bedside of a neighbor
04 - Jonah
05 - Preacher and the bear
06 - Born ten thousand years ago
07 - Behold the bridegroom cometh
08 - Go where I send thee
09 - Won`t there be one happy time
10 - Job
11 - Bonnet
12 - Massa`s in the cold, cold ground
13 - Stand in the test in judgement
14 - Found a wonderful savior
15 - Carolina in the morning
16 - Motherless child
17 - Travelin` shoes
18 - John, the Revelator
19 - Remember me
20 - Pure religion
21 - Dipsy doodle
22 - Swanee River
23 - Lead me on and on
Vol. 2 - 1938-1939 (1996)
01 - Sweet Adeline
02 - Sampson
03 - I was brave
04 - Take your burdens to God
05 - Ol` Man River
06 - When they ring the golden bells
07 - My Lord is writing
08 - Rock my soul
09 - Bye and bye little children
10 - God almighty said
11 - Let that liar alone
12 - To the rock
13 - Saints go marching in
14 - Cheer the weary traveler
15 - I heard Zion moan
16 - Noah (028964)
17 - Lord, am I born to die?
18 - What are they doing in Heaven today?
19 - Packing up - getting ready to go
20 - Troubles of the world
21 - Lis`n to de lambs
22 - Everything moves by the grace of god
23 - This world is in a bad condition
Vol. 3 - 1939 (1996)
01 - Precious lord
02 - Noah (031980)
03 - Ol` Man Mose
04 - Change partners
05 - What a time
06 - He said he could calm the ocean
07 - Hide me in thy bosom
08 - If I had my way
09 - I looked down the line and I wondered
10 - Way down in Egypt land
11 - Our Father
12 - You`d better mind
13 - I`m a pilgrim
14 - Every time that I feel the spirit
15 - Whoa babe
16 - Stormy weather
17 - The devil with the devil
18 - Julius Caesar
19 - Timber
20 - Jonah in the whale
21 - Gospel train (concert)
22 - I`m on my way (concert)
23 - My walking stick
24 - Darling Nellie Gray
25 - What`s new?
Vol. 4 - 1939-1943 (1996)
01 - My prayer
02 - What did Jesus say?
03 - The valley of time
04 - Daniel saw the stone
05 - Jezebel
06 - Time`s winding up
07 - God told Nicodemus
08 - The sun didn`t shine
09 - Blind Barnabas
10 - Anyhow
11 - Didn`t it rain
12 - Toll the bell easy
13 - He never said a mumblin` word
14 - Moses smote the waters
15 - Handwriting on the wall
16 - Run on
17 - Dip your fingers in the water
18 - My time done come
19 - Stalin wasn`t stallin`
20 - Comin` in on a wing and a prayer
21 - Julius Caesar
22 - Summer rain
23 - The gospel train
24 - The preacher and the bear
Vol. 5 - 1945-1949 (1999)
01 - The general jumped at dawn
02 - I will be home again
03 - Bones, bones, bones (ezekiel in the valley)
04 - God`s gonna cut `em down
05 - Swing down, chariot
06 - No restricted signs (up in heaven)
07 - Atom and evil
08 - Shadrack
09 - Hush!
10 - Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
11 - Wade in the water
12 - Pray for the lights to go out
13 - High, low and wide
14 - Do unto others
15 - Broodle-oo, broodle-oo
16 - Abdullah
17 - Fare you well, fare you well
18 - She`s gonna ruin you, buddy
19 - I`m just a dreamer
20 - Talking Jerusalem to death
21 - Mene, mene, tekel
22 - Jesus met the woman at the well
23 - Mary Mary
24 - John saw the wheel
25 - Lord, I am tired and I want to go home
Vol. 6 - 1949-1952 (1999)
01 - Seven angels and seven trumpets
02 - Lord I want to be a Christian
03 - You ain`t got faith (till you got religion)
04 - Religion is a fortune
05 - Satisfied
06 - Lord I want to walk with thee
07 - There`s a man going round taking names
08 - Didn`t that man believe
09 - Same train
10 - Ride on moses
11 - Look up!
12 - Listen to the lambs
13 - Hold the wind
14 - Nicodemus
15 - On top of Old Smokey
16 - Mother`s love
17 - Bones, bones, bones
18 - You better mind
19 - I just telephone upstairs
20 - Rain is the teardrops of angels
21 - Hit the road to Dreamland (with Dick Powell & Mary Martin)
22 - The general jumped at dawn
