![]() It’s been covered by hundreds of artists across genre boundaries. “Oh Happy Day” has become a gospel standard. It opened the door for artists like Aretha Franklin, The Winans, and Richard Smallwood to bring the Good News into the secular realm. Hawkins’ use of contemporary sounds – a Latin groove, synthesizers, a soul-influenced lead vocal performance – created a new model for gospel music. They also won a Grammy for “Best Soul Gospel Performance”. The re-named Edwin Hawkins’ Singers’ “Oh Happy Day” was the first gospel song to become a hit on the secular charts in 1967 when it was released. They played the song and it spread like wildfire. Hawkins and the choir’s intentions were to record an album to sell to local churchgoers to raise funds for a trip to a gospel competition.Īs fate would have it, the record found its way into the hands of some Bay Area underground rock DJ’s. In the late 1960s, still a college student, Hawkins put together the new arrangement for the Northern California State Youth Choir. His crowning achievement was bringing his arrangement of “Oh Happy Day” – originally an 18th century hymn – to wide audiences. He left behind an unmatched legacy, revolutionizing what it could mean to be a gospel artist. For example, it has been featured on movies such as:Īnd all of this for a song which originally Edwin Hawkins and his crew didn’t really think much of and that sort of became famous by accident.Īdditionally it should be noted, as perhaps to be expected, “Oh, Happy Day” being embraced by the overall, secular world didn’t really sit well with some church leaders, including a few belonging to Hawkins’ own denomination.Edwin Hawkins, a Grammy-award winning gospel singer and arranger, passed away this past January at the age of 74. It also took home a Grammy Award in 1970 in the category of Best Soul Gospel Performance. And as you, the reader, probably already know, it has maintained a strong presence in pop media. This achievement made it the first crossover-gospel hit of the modern era. Moreover the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ rendition actually reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Also it was performed twice at Woodstock, once by Sweetwater and secondly by Joan Baez. Other famous musicians who have covered the tune include:Īdditionally, it served as the melodic inspiration behind George Harrison’s own religious hymn, “ My Sweet Lord” (197). Their rendition went on to become one of the most-celebrated gospel songs ever. For instance, it has been recorded, hundreds of singers and musical acts across the globe. One of the more-successful covers was by Glen Campbell, whose 1970 rendition made it onto the Billboard Hot 100. The sound of the tune was modernized by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, largely via lead vocalist Dorothy Morrison. The Edwin Hawkins Singers were a gospel group fronted by musician/man-of-faith Edwin Hawkins (1943-2018). They recorded this song in in Berkeley, California, specifically at the Ephesian Church of God in Christ where Hawkins’ worshipped. This song actually dates back to the 18 th century, as authored by one Philip Doddridge (1702-1751), an English minister who was born in London. It was made famous to modern audiences by the Eddie Hawkins Singers when they released their rendition in 1968 via Buddah Records. These expressions read like an allusion to Matthew 26:41. And in that regard what the singer is apparently saying is that now she’s going to be more vigilant in terms of preventing herself from re-falling into a life of sin.Īlso as part of her newfound life and overall joy, she can’t help but to celebrate and spread the gospel. So even though this song may hold sort of a general applicability which has led to it being adopted by secular audiences due to the general feeling of happiness it presents, again it is very much Christian in nature. For even if the singer has not actually undergone the aforementioned transformation, it idealizes being personally approved by Jesus and via such approval making it into Heaven. In the process of putting her in this state, Jesus also “taught” her how to “watch”, “fight and pray”. finally being cool enough with God Himself to reside up above in the afterlife. The song basically features the singer(s) rejoicing over the fact that she has undergone being born again, as the Christian community would say. That is, she has had her prior sins “washed… away” by Jesus. This is not a literal expression but rather points to one being accepted into the hosts of Heaven, i.e.
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