Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Jesus Created Rock 'N Roll



Here's Brother Claude Ely, singing his original song, "Ain't No Grave".  I bet you know this song as a Johnny Cash song.  That's how I was aware of this little gem, but The Man In Black didn't write this song.  Brother Claude Ely wrote "Ain't No Grave" back in 1934.

You see, Brother Claude Ely was a singer-songwriter and a Pentecostal Holiness preacher.  He worked in the coal mines for years until he had a calling from God to preach.  He then picked up his guitar and started singing for his people.  His talents, charisma, and faith in Jesus helped Brother Claude get all the way from Virginia and the Appalachia Mountains to Cincinnati, OH, where he was dubbed the "Gospel Ranger" for King Records.

Notice the soul in Brother Claude Ely's "Ain't No Grave".  Yeah...you hear Elvis, don't you?  When we think about the beginnings of Rock 'N Roll, we think of Buddy Holly, Elvis, The Beatles, and The Stones.  The thing is, Brother Claude Ely's music was what taught some of those boys about Jesus.  Those sounds became ingrained in their bones, like New Orleans is in my bones and thus, Elvis "The Pelvis" and Beatle-Mania happened.

So, next time you are discussing the beginnings of rock 'n roll, don't forget to bring up Brother Claude Ely's contributions to the musical world.  Everyone always thought rock 'n roll was the devil's music, when in all actuality they were just singing for Jesus.
Posted by Kel at 9:00 AM
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4 comments:

  1. JennJuly 19, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Great post!! I have heard of Brother Clyde Ely~I don't think I placed him with this song. It has been awhile--so maybe they mentioned this song back then---but I remembered he came to Ohio. Anyway---I love that song by Cash so I won't soon forget this!!

    Cheers, Jenn

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  2. Kay SwatkowskiJuly 19, 2011 at 11:23 AM

    I hadn't heard of Clyde Ely! This was a great post. I enjoyed it.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 19, 2011 at 7:07 PM

    Fantastic post. I love Brother Claude Ely's music! There's a book about his life called Ain't No Grave, and there is an official website of his music, too. It's found at www.aintnograve.com or www.claudeely.com

    Brother Claude Ely was definitely a precursor to rock-and-roll. I'm so happy to see your blog on here. Thanks!

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  4. KelJuly 20, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    @ Jenn - so glad you enjoyed! My mom is from Cincinnati, so I asked her about Brother Claude, but she didn't remember him. She grew up Presbyterian, though... ;)

    @ Kay - I hadn't heard of him either! Thanks for commenting...I love finding little hidden secrets about musical history.

    @ Anonymous - thanks for stopping by and sharing those links. I should have included those for people who wanted more information on Brother Claude Ely.

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