The Gospel Writers

Amongst the older gospel groups in Memphis, the Gospel Writers was the group of Elijah Jones, one of the most important trainers of gospel singers in Memphis at the time. Of important note is that there are two iterations of the group. The first formed in the late 1930’s, and continued until Jones went into semi-retirement around 1955. The second iteration was formed in 1976, with Jones pulling together several younger singers that he had trained. It is this newer version of the group, led by George Rooks, that is on High Water’s recordings. Rooks would take over from Jones after his death in 1980.

Jones was the true crux that held together not only the group, but also the gospel tradition in Memphis as a whole. He would go on to train multiple quartets throughout his career, and the a cappella style and general repertory heavily reflect his own personal tastes. Even into the 1980s this would not change greatly, with only the inclusion of some more contemporary gospel songs and arrangements. Otherwise, most of their mainstay works were still using the exact same arrangement and performance styles that were seen in the 1930s.