BIBB COUNTY CHRISTIAN HARMONY SINGING CONVENTION
OLD PLEASANT HILL CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
CENTREVILLE, ALABAMA
JULY 24, 2005
All selections from Deason-Parris Revision ("Alabama book")
<Greetings, Art. Pardon the delayed report. Glad to know Donna Carol beat me to it. I'm doing my annotating trick here again with these minutes, putting my notes inside arrows <like this>.>
Singers started out by singing 110 before organizing into a class. Filling in for President Billy Thompson (on vacation) and Vice-President Jeff James (present, but with laryngitis), Tim Cook called the class to order leading 185.
<We were blessed with surprise visitors again, but low on home folks. Jeff said he could sing but couldn't talk, so he asked me to do the talking. Read your last letter again, marveled at how great e-mail can be for seniors who can't go out so easily, and said we hope you can get to the Deason Reunion in October.>
Prayer offered by Harrison Creel.
<Yes, Harrison came again with Flarce and several of his kinfolks. Happy day!>
Leaders called as follows: Jeff James 171, 59t; Ruth Wyers 92, 264; Danny Creel 123, 255; Mako Cook 51, 30b; Donna Kornegay 31t, 128b;
<Donna brought a bunch of old Christian Harmony vinyl recordings that I understand you all recorded sometime in the 70s in Birmingham. Donald had kept them and Sue gave them all to Donna, who gave them all out at the singing. Donald had already given me one before he passed away so I didn't take one. The people who made the record must have been so hopeful about Christian Harmony. I hope they're not disappointed to see our humble efforts today.>
Sandy Scott 167, 337b;
<You probably don't recognize the name Sandy Scott. She's a Sacred Harp singer from Tennessee (originally from Kalamazoo, Mich., as I found out during the break) and I saw her the previous day at Elder J.L. Hopper's Sacred Harp singing in Eva, Alabama (Gum Pond). She said my letters to you motivated her to come to our Christian Harmony singing. (Oooh, the pressure's on to write something memorable now.) Apparently having done some homework beforehand, she wanted to sing things written by Christian Harmony singers. The first one, Come Along, was by John Hocutt, and the second one, To Die No More, was Donald's arrangement.>
Mary Earnestine Thompson 338b, 289; Emily Creel 253, 149.
Recess.
Tim Cook reconvened the singing by leading 35b and calling the following
leaders: Ola Meadows 210b, 89; Teddy Creel 184, 109;
<That's Harrison's nephew, who was also at Little Hope in June.>
Edie Richardson 359;
<She's the daughter of Edith Tate (Harrison's sister), who was also there, but didn't lead. This was my first time to meet Edie.>
Gary Smith 128t, 46t;
<Gary and Sarah Beasley Smith came last year to Old Pleasant Hill too. They live in Bessemer and always have a big party for singers at their house on the second evening of the National Sacred Harp Convention in June. They like to support all kinds of singing. This time Sandy drove to their house and stayed with them and they all came together on Sunday. When Gary led The Hill Of Zion, he wanted us to pay attention to the second verse, which isn't in the Sacred Harp. It goes "The sorrows of the mind, Be banished from this place; Religion never was designed, To make our pleasures less." That's good because we had a real good time in that church on Sunday.>
Luke Smith 239b, 84;
<When Luke showed up, he kindly relieved me of my pitching duties, which I've learned to do so-so, but not without thinking real hard about each song. Luke just has an instinct like Donald did about how to pitch songs. I always like when Donald's children are together because they'll start harmonizing to songs in their head during the breaks. I just wish Tish was there.>
Robert DuPree 129, 91; Sarah Smith 85.
Recess for dinner. Danny Creel offered the blessing on the noon meal.
Tim Cook called singers to order leading 228 and then called leaders as follows:
Louise Crunk and Dawson Dockery 248, 179; Dawson Dockery 180, 287; Martha
Sue Thompson 96, 70b; Harvey Dockery 100, 289; Harrison Creel 93, 111t; Jeff
James for Tucker Medders 117, 64;
<Don't know if you know that name or not. Mr. Medders was sitting in the back and when I asked him if he wanted to lead, he requested that one of us lead Angel Band. As often as I've sung that song, when others asks us to sing it, it always moves me knowing that it means something to them.>
Sandy Scott 143; Tim Cook 175; Ruth Wyers by request of Sandy Scott 38;
<That's your song, God Is Our Refuge. Sandy really wanted to have us sing a song by you.>
Danny Creel 172; Gary Smith 159b; Emily Creel 19.
Announcements were made.
<Miss Cugar (Louise Crunk) came with an older gentleman who introduced himself as Uncle Jack. He played the guitar, and could sing too, but declined to lead a song himself. At the end, just before announcements, he recited a poem of a patriotic nature from memory.>
Tim Cook led 59b as the closing song. Prayer offered by Harvey Dockery.
Respectfully submitted by
Tim Cook
<Don't think I've been particularly erudite, but I hope you got a little flavor of our singing. We miss you. Tim>