Louisiana

Reverend J. R. Gipson, "Blind Gipson", was introduced by H. R. Weaver, the uncle of Alan Lomax's wife. He was a well-known African-American Baptist evangelist who supplemented his sermons with the singing of "jazzed" spirituals, playing his own accompaniment on the piano. His loud chords topped by loud, husky singing, made an interesting combination, but one difficult to record. His wife and two neighbor children came with him to the Weaver home, where the recordings were made. They assisted him with some of the spirituals such as ► I'm Lookin' for Dat Man Dat Don't Know Jesus, and the children sang ► Green Old Tree, Old Rocky Row and ► Little Sally Walker.

H.R. Weaver also arranged a special prayer-meeting service at the New Zion Baptist Church in Knight, Louisiana to record some of their favorite spirituals. It was a jet-black night when the Lomaxes arrived at the church house, Mr. Weaver's family accompanying them, and they were received in silence by the congregation, a group of about forty persons, gathered in a small building dimly lighted by a lantern and one kerosene lamp. With the help of flashlights, car lights and the strong arms of some African-American youths, the Loamxes set up the machinery, including two heavy batteries and a convertor. During a half hour's delay, due to machine trouble, the crowd waited patiently; when the combination of machinery gave forth a satisfactory purr, all heaved a highly audible sigh of relief including the Lomaxes. The outstanding song of the evening was Sylvester Johnson's ► Samson

Professor N. J. Cross, principal of the segregated Merryville High School, introduced to John Lomax by H.R. Weaver, assembled his pupils in a large upstairs auditorium. Volunteer singers were mostly boys and girls twelve to fourteen years old. Recordings include ► Ti-yi-ya-ya-ho as well as ► Old Ship of Zion sung by Gentty Young Bennett, an African-American woman past middle age to whom John Lomax had promised a quarter if she would come to the schoolhouse to make a recording.

Sarah C. Whitman was a member of a WPA sewing group with headquarters in the same building as H.R. Weaver's office. She recorded the ► Fox Hunting song at her noon recess.