Sydney Houston interview with Bell Powell, "Willie" Williams, and Earline "Irma" Williams

The John Burrison Georgia Folklore Archive recordings contains unedited versions of all interviews. Some material may contain descriptions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There are instances of racist language and description, particularly in regards to African Americans. These items are presented as part of the historical record. This project is a repository for the stories, accounts, and memories of those who chose to share their experiences for educational purposes. The viewpoints expressed in this project do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers. The Atlanta History Center makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information contained in the interviews and expressly disclaims any liability therefore. If you believe you are the copyright holder of any of the content published in this collection and do not want it publicly available, please contact the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center at 404-814-4040 or reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. In the recording, Bell Powell, Earline "Irma" Williams, and three additional, unidentified, Black women sing gospel songs and hymns accompanied by "Willie" Williams on the guitar. Songs include "I'll Let Nothing Separate Me From His Arm," "Jesus, I Luv to Call Yo' Name," "Amazing Grace," and "Dip Yo' Fanger in Some Water." Earline Williams (1937-?) was born in Jesup, Georgia, where she lived most of her life. "Willie" (1893-?), her husband, also lived in Jesup, Georgia. He worked as a janitor and served as a visiting preacher amounts several churches in South Georgia. Additional biographical information has not been determined. NO. 1: "I'LL LET NOTHING SEPAHATE i1E FHOi1 HIS ih"1W' ;, I'll let nothing separate me from his arms, oh. I'll let nothing separate me from his arms, oh. I may have trials, I may have woe, my friends may come, yes, and they may go. I'll let nothing, nothing separate me from his arms. May no teardrop walk in wa to me or not, But I'll keep serving him no matter what's my lot. Neither friend nor foe can stop me as I go, For ilio1iOlet nothing, nothing separate me from his arm. I'll let nothing separate me from his arm. I'll let nothing separate me fro~ his arm7 I may have trials, I may have woe, my friends may come, yes, and they may go. But I'll let nothing, nothing separate me from his ar-mmmm. ;f The word arm is sometimes pronounced by the group as being singular or plural. The interjections which follow are added at random throughout the song by the singers as they feel it: oh lord, well, oh, lord, and yes. Also the endings of the words in the song are sometimes pronounced and sometimes not. Often the end of a word may be left hanging and the Nord ended in "oh" or "mmm"-;' - ----------------- _. - - -_._-------------' ,------c-------------------------------------------------.. NO.2 IIJESUS, I LUV TO CALL YO' NAHE II Verse L Oh, Jesus, Jesus, I luv to call yo' name. (boom, boom, boom, boom) Jesus, Jesus, I luv to call. yo' name. (midnight hour) Well, I call it in the morning when I rise; I call it late at night when sleep is creeping cross my eyes. Jesus, Jesus, I luv to call yo' name. Well, I luv to call yo' name. Verse ,II repeat verse I Verse III repeat verse I Verse IV repeat verse I Verse V Well, I went do,m to calvry one day. My soul got happy and it stayed all day. repeat verse I again' Verse VI Well, one of these mornings, you gonna look for me, And I' 11 be gone" repeat verse I again Verse VII repeat Verse I - - - - ---------------------------------" NO~ J "DIP YO' FM,GER IN SOME WATER Verse I Oh Father Abreham, Do let lazrus come, do let him come. do lord, do lord, do lord,do lord, Dip yo' fanger in some water. do lord do lord, do lord, do lord do lord, do lord, Verse II Well, dip yo' fanger in some water and cool my tongue. do lord, yo' fanger i.n some water, cool my parching tongue vJell lord, cool my tongue cool my tongue. Dippa yo' fanger in some water, cool my parching tongue Oh dip yo' fanger in some water and cool my tongue. parching tongue Be~se I'm tormented in the flame. Verse III repeat verse II Verse IV Well, po' man Lazrus you ]mow he died Glory Halelujah oh before his lord Oh when he did die you Glory, Glory Haleluljah Verse V repeat verse II Verse VI repeat verse II ]mow hOH why don't yoU) )tell the lord The song wasn't sung in verses exactly, but to understand the transcription it was necessary to devide the song into segments. The melody line is the first line; the bas~ is second. Songs # 4 through #rz were not transcribed in this report ~ The first three songs were vITitten up only to give the reader a visual idea of the complexity and commercial ornamentation of the songs1 These songs are not what one would call "folk" in the strictest senae of the word. In fact'; only tt"J"o of them are spiritual at alP:' these being the two "Amazing Graces"'.' A PDF transcript exists for this recording. Please contact an archivist for access. Professor John Burrison founded the Atlanta Folklore Archive Project in 1967 at Georgia State University. He trained undergraduates and graduate students enrolled in his folklore curriculum to conduct oral history interviews. Students interviewed men, women, and children of various demographics in Georgia and across the southeast on crafts, storytelling, music, religion, rural life, and traditions. As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information, which places us inaposition to choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, andbias isreflected in our descriptions, whichmay not convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materialsaccurately.Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment.We often re-use language used by the former owners and creators, which provides context but also includes bias and prejudices of the time it was created.Additionally,our work to use reparative languagewhereLibrary of Congress subject termsareinaccurate and obsolete isongoing. Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or description please let us know by emailingreference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.