The Glory Road
Sometimes it takes the genius and adoration of a small record label like Chicago's Numero to unearth a bounty virtually fictional but for the several hundreds who listened and observed a half-century ago. Born in 1923, Fern Jones was a gifted songwriter with a deep-from-the-chest singing voice that was as muchLightnin' Hopkinsas it wasPatsy Cline. Her husband a preacher, Jones left the honky-tonks to perform by his side in Pentecostal churches and revival tents during the forties and fifties, her original and traditional gospel hymns always dotted with the blues and pop variations that inspired her. What those fortunate few were able to witness was put to vinyl by Dot Records in 1959, backed by noted Elvis studio musicians Hank Garland (guitar) and Floyd Cramer (piano), and available here for the first time since. It includes six Jones originals, including "I Was There When It Happened," covered by Johnny Cash during his first session for Sun Records. Fern Jones died in 1996, but thankfully--though 50 years after the fact--her music lives on with the vitality and clarity her underappreciated talent provided.--Scott Holter