The Salem Travelers

Listen/Download – The Salem Travelers – Wade In the Water MP3

Greetings all.

How about some deep, soulful gospel to get your week rolling?

The Salem Travelers were one of the more interesting Chicago-based gospel outfits.

Their mid-to-late 60s recordings are a great bridge between classic gospel and the sounds of soul and funk.

Though they’re best known for their string of albums or Checker in the late 60s and early 70s, they got their start recording for Halo, the gospel imprint of Chicago’s One-Der-Ful records.

Their recording of the spiritual classic (and one of my favorite songs) ‘Wade In the Water’ hails from 1966, and as soulful version of the song go, it’s one of my faves.

It has a slightly rough feel to it (the vaguely out of tune piano, possibly the very same one that appears on a number of One-Der-Ful/Mar-V-Lus 45s has something to do with that) but the group’s vocals are tight and take off into the stratosphere, especially after the introduction.

Sadly, I don’t think the Salem Travelers stuff has been comped, so your only way to pick it up is on the original pressings.

If you dig the tune, head on over to the archive for Testify!, my WFMU show and dig the long set of versions of ‘Wade In the Water’, many of them radically different.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all next week.

Until next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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