Bessie Griffin

Artist: Bessie Griffin

LP: Gospel Soul

Song: "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"

[ listen ]

Song: "Lord In the New Jerusalem"

[ listen ]

One of the things I was hoping to find on my Ohio road trip was lots of neat old gospel records, since those are hard to come by in the Pacific Northwest. I did find a few here and there along the way, but it was in Columbus that I really struck gospel gold, especially at Used Kids Records, a terrific store hidden away in the upper level of an ugly brown brick building on High Street near The Ohio State University.

 [ Used Kids Records — Columbus, OH ]

 [ Used Kids Records, stairway to the store ]

 [ Used Kids Records, inside ]

Almost as if they somehow knew it was my birthday, the folks at Used Kids said that all vinyl was 20% off on Mondays. One of the best things I found there is this 1968 Bessie Griffin "Gospel Soul" LP. Born in New Orleans in the summer of 1922, Bessie (then known as Arlette B. Broil) grew up singing gospel music, performing with The Gospel Consolators, The Southern Harps, and The Caravans before working with The Gospel Pearls, who are featured with her on this record. You can read more about the life and career of Bessie Griffin on Wikipedia here, find her New York Times obituary here, and the notes from the back of the record are included below.

 [ Bessie Griffin: July 6, 1922 — April 10, 1989 ]