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Hallelujah! The Sentational Nightingales have taken the stage, and old-time gospel music is about to fill the hall. The original quintet formed in the 1940s and reached its heyday in the 1950s. While the personnel has largely changed (with the exception of tenor JoJo Wallace, who is perhaps 80-years-old; the others in the quartet here are Sam Scott, Darrell Luster, and Derrick Nation), the impassioned music lives on.

A Nightingales Christmas is a feel-good, nostalgic offering, and with JoJo Wallace's deeply-grained vocals, it's a bit about history, too. This group ruled the roost for decades in gospel music, and they still charge hearts with religious fervor today. On tunes like O Come All Ye Faithful, the Sensational Nightingales incorporate scripture into the carol, and the overall feel puts you in the pew of an evangelical church. The two best tracks are Joy Came into the World, which features Margaret Allison, who founded the Angelic Gospel Singers in 1944, and Go Tell It on the Mountain, which is the rock anthem of gospel music.

The Sensational Nightingales turn back the clock on A Nightingales Christmas. Bear witness to a living piece of Americana!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2007)

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From the liner notes:

Produced by Darrell Luster
Executive Producer: D.A. Johnson
Recorded and Mixed at Malaco Recording Studio, Jackson, MS
Overdubs Recorded at Beacon Recording Studio, Durham, NC
Engineered by Wolf Stephenson, Kent Bruce, Darrell Luster and Jerry Masters

Musicians:
Drums and Bass Guitar: Sam Scott
Guitars: JoJo Wallace and Darrell Luster
Piano & Hammond B-3 Organ: Derrick Nation

From the Website:

The Sensational Nightingales, affectionately known as "The Gentlemen Of Song," have been spreading the Gospel for over 50 years. In addition, they have toured overseas, were the first group inducted in the American Gospel Quartet Hall Of Fame and even garnered a prestigious Grammy nomination. With all of these accomplishments listed on their resume, the one thing they haven't done in their illustrious career is to record a Christmas CD.

This release is a collection of standard Christmas classics mixed with a couple of original tracks performed and arranged with the signature harmonies and melodies that millions around the world have come to love and appreciate from these pioneers of Gospel music.

The Sensational Nightingales

A Nightingales Christmas

Artist link

Track List