FALSETTO

Another major difference between black and white gospel. As far as I'm concerned, Claude Jeter of the Swan Silvertones was blessed with the greatest falsetto of the last fifty years. Listening to him go up into falsetto makes me shake my head in amazement. If you want to get a small suggestion of his falsetto, listen to Paul Simon on Loves Me Like A Rock, when he goes into naah, naaah, naahs at the end of the song. He really gets the feeling of Claude Jeter on the faster falsetto singing. Interestingly, the Dixie Hummingbirds, who back Paul on that track also recorded the song, but Ira Tucker, the lead singer, doesn't go up into falsetto. My gospel quartet had the great honor of opening for the Dixie Hummingbirds last summer. This is their 73rd year of singing, and Ira Tucker has been in the group most of those years. He's hunched over now, and frail, but when he starts singing, he stands straight as a rod and can still bring a church to it's feet.

Falsetto isn't a gift that everyone has. Maybe Ira doesn't have a strong falsetto. I wish that I did, but it's only certain songs where I can sing falsetto with any strength. My gospel quartet only has one tenor, so there are songs where we need two harmonies above the lead, with the bass below. Frankie (a baritone like me) has a great falsetto, so he takes the falsetto harmony most of the time. But, there is one song that Frankie leads, and I get to do the falsetto... what a kick..

Why isn't falsetto common in white gospel? I have on idea. Maybe falsetto singing goes all the way back to Africa, but I don't know that. I have some African gospel, but by now the singers are probably influenced as much by American gospel as they are their own tradition. Maybe falsetto in black gospel came about the way it has naturally in our quartet... wanting two harmonies above the lead, and only having one tenor in the group. Whatever works.

Like much of black gospel singing, falsetto worked its way into early rhythm and blues groups, just as the bass singer took the humorous one liners in songs like Charlie Brown. When falsetto is done beautifully, like Claude Jeter does it, it can be spine-chilling.
If you haven't heard the Swan Silvertones, you have a great treat in store for you... and most of their material has been re-issued.

Jerry