(Boxes 7 and 10 temporarily unavailable)Inventory of the Sam Barber Collection on Wings Over Jordan, 1930s-2004

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Biographical Note

Sam Barber, a professor of music, wrote his doctoral thesis, "The Choral Style of the Wings Over Jordan Choir," in 1978 at the University of Cincinnati and continued to collect material about the choir. Wings Over Jordan was founded in 1938 by the Reverend Glenn T. Settle, pastor of Gethsemane Baptist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, and performed weekly on WGAR, a CBS affiliate radio station in Cleveland and on other CBS affiliate stations across the country. Worth Kramer, WGAR program director, became the original conductor and music director. The group was the first, full-time, professional African-American choir in the United States. Throughout the 1940s, it toured the United States, Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The choir received numerous awards including the Peabody Award. In 1988, the Wings Over Jordan Celebration Chorus was formed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original choir.

Collection overview

The collection consists of research materials of music educator Sam Barber relating to the African-American choir Wings Over Jordan of Cleveland, Ohio, that chiefly sang spirituals and hymns. Materials include general files, photographs, slides, recorded interviews on audio cassettes and video, and original recordings of the choir on instantaneous discs. Files include information on the history of the choir and of the Wings Over Jordan Celebration Chorus; information on founder Glenn T. Settle, conductor and music director Worth Kramer, and CBS radio; radio scripts; clippings chiefly from the Call and Post, a weekly African-American newspaper in Cleveland; and other items.

Arrangement of Collection

Items Separated

Items separated include oversize papers (OP-5188), audiotapes (T-5188), audiodiscs (D-5188), a film (F-5188), and an optical disc cartridge (ODC-5188).

Detailed Description of the Collection

General files of Sam Barber relating to his research on the Wings Over Jordan Choir. For the most part, the files maintain Barber's original alphabetical order and label names, with the exception of files labeled "Film Negatives" or "Photographs" and related material, removed and re-filed for preservation purposes. Files in boxes 8 and 9 were originally filed separately most likely because of their legal size. Each file name is listed.

Items include slides (kept in original carousels or trays), audiocassettes, VHS video tapes, Betacam video tapes, open reel audio tapes, audio disks, etc. Most are recorded interviews with persons associated with the choir or music performed by the choir.

C-5188/21. Wings Over Jordan Choir, Dub of live broadcast recorded 18 February 1970 on WBT Charlotte

Wings Over Jordan Choir, Dial Records, EPD1238-2, "Take Me To The Water To Be Baptized," "Hush Children, Somebody's Calling My Name," 45 rpm

Wings Over Jordan Choir, Voice of Scripture: 5163, "I'll Be Somewhere Listening," "Wade In The Water," "In The River Jordan," "Plenty Good Room," "Amen," "Leaning On The Lord," "Deep River," "Trying To Get Ready," "Swing Low," "Rocka My Soul," 45 rpm

Lorin Whitney: Voice of Scripture: 900 1-12, 700 5-6, "The Complete Book of Psalms and Meditations in Prayer", total of 14 discs, 45 rpm

Wings Over Jordan, Columbia Records, M499 1-8, "Wings Over Jordan, Worth Kramer Conductor, Rev. Glenn T. Settle, Narrator, Masterworks Set M-499" Album, total of 8 discs, 78 rpm

"Wings Over Jordan" Program, Recorded for Dr. David D. Jones, Station: WABC, Time: 9:30 AM, Date: 30 October 1938, No. 1 and 3, A Harry Smith Recording, 12-inch instantaneous disc

"Wings Over Jordan" Program, Recorded for Dr. David D. Jones, Station: WABC, Time: 9:30 AM, Date: 30 October 1938, No. 2 and 4, A Harry Smith Recording, 12-inch instantaneous disc

"Wings Over Jordan, Trx 11 February 1940 #1, Trx 17 February 1940 #2," 16-inch instantaneous disc

VT-5188/2: Wings Over Jordan 50th Anniversary Celebration, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio, 11 June 1998

VT-5188/3: Wings Over Jordan 50th Anniversary Celebration, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio, 11 June 1998

VT-5188/4: Wings Over Jordan 50th Anniversary Celebration, Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio, 11 June 1998