“Wade in the Water” is the name of an African-American spiritual first published in New Jubilee Songs sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901). When I was fifteen (1960) I saved with my GRUNDIG tape-recorder my first version of “WADE IN THE WATER” – as a teenager in Germany, I was honored to be the lead-singer of a gospel group which gave several performances in a little cinema (before BEATLE-mania occupied all audiences).
title=”High waves hit coastline of Skye” – photo by Ben Visbeek, click on the picture to enter his galleries on Flickr.com
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Grown up, 35 years later, in New York, Harlem, I was happy, that I could listen to a real Gospel choir in a church (not on vinyl so many decades before). I’ll never forget this emotional life experience! Via youtube now I discovered Naomi Shelton and her Gospel Queens with the same title:
compare:
Eva Cassidy – Wade in the water
Slave Spiritual Story
related:
naomi shelton, gospel queen of brooklyn 2
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/272979/
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Flickr Comments 
Wow. Such a great song. Fine performance by Naomi Shelton et al. I saw Len Chandler do it. I remember how moving a performance it was. As we celebrate Passover and/or Easter the crossing of the Red Sea story, as transmitted and re-interpreted by the African-Americans, is all the more interesting.
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new for me: Len Chandler
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Vielen Dank! DAS hat mich sehr interessiert und ich habe mir alles angehört…. klasse! und sehr beeindruckend!
LG, Petra
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I’ve always loved this song, I was captivated when my then boyfriend, now husband played it to me during a drive through the Scottish Highlands…can still remember it vividly. Thanks foe evoking the memory 🙂
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What an amazing contrast of song versions, Naomi Shelton wins hands down! The images in the last video are shocking, such evil cruelty that man carried out on his brother.
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Just saw Alvin Ailey preform Revalations last month – Wade in the Water is one of the pieces included. Your post brought back lovely memories. Thanks!
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*Revelations
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http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html
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An amazing song Frizz! But a tragic portrayal in the last video.
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I love Eva Cassidy. I discovered her a few years ago with her rendition of Somewhere Over The Rainbow live on Youtube.
But listening to music live the way you did would be completely different, I’m sure. Lovely music.
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a beautiful performance by Naomi Shelton
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