Bibb County Christian Harmony Singing Convention

Old Pleasant Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Centreville, Bibb County, Alabama
Sunday, July 22, 2007

All selections from The Christian Harmony ('Alabama book', Deason-Parris revision, 2002 printing).

These are minutes turned into a letter to Art Deason, from Tim Cook.

Billy Thompson called the class to order leading 31t, Home.
281b, Palmetto.
Jeff James offered by prayer.

<We started earlier than usual. I walked in the back door at 9:35 just as they were about to sing the first song. In the front row of the tenors were Billy Williams and Henry Guthery, both from Cullman County. Billy was doing the arranging all day and Henry was keying. Billy was the arranging committee at the Cullman County Sacred Harp Convention, which I think gave Ruth the idea to have him take that on for us.>

Leaders were called as follows:
128, ('t'op or 'b'ottom of the page?) - Jeff James
129, Coronation - Jeff James
75, Sprague - Tim Cook.
73t, Ella's Song - Tim Cook.

<75 is Sprague, a song that Emily Creel led during the singing school. It was new to probably every one of us. It's one of those hidden gems sitting there in plain sight. And so is 73, Ella's Song.>

178, That Beautiful Land - Bea Carnathan
184, Where We'll Never Grow Old - Bea Carnathan

<You may remember Henry Guthery joining us for your 96th birthday singing. Anyway, Bea Carnathan is his sister. She lives in Birmingham. She and her daughter came to the singing school one of the nights.>

117, Angel Band - Henry Guthery III
120, Home in the Sky - Henry Guthery III

<And this is Henry's grandson, who is in college. Singing skipped a generation. The middleman, Henry II, doesn't sing.>

106, Sweet Rivers - Pinina Kane
109, Not Made with Hands - Pinina Kane
122, The Dying Boy - Eddie Pierce
171, Sessions - Eddie Pierce

<Eddie is from Marion. He is what you'd call a walk-in. He saw our singing school sign and walked in. We all became fast friends with him. He brought his brother and sister-in-law on Sunday and they sang too.>

170, On My Way - Tim Cook and Caitlin James
369, Easter Anthem - Tim Cook and Caitlin James

<These are hard ones for beginners, On My Way and Easter Anthem, although Caitlin, Jeff's daughter, is quickly moving out of the beginners' category. She didn't hesitate to ask for help, which I volunteered, but sometimes I hinder more than help. When I make a mistake leading a song, I'm hoping everyone is concentrating on their own efforts instead of mine.>

30b, Dennis - Mako Cook
51, Lonsdale - Mako Cook
55b, Idumea - Donna Carol Kornegay.
143, Farther Along - Donna Carol Kornegay.

Recess.

Billy Thompson reconvened the singing by leading 289, Happy Land, and then called leaders as follows:
142, The Solid Rock - Leanna Kornegay
248, Twilight is Falling - Leanna Kornegay

<Leanna, Donna Carol's oldest daughter, is in high school and plays in the band. She came with a male friend, Jay, whom she also brought to the singing school. He was a little reserved, but friendly and polite, and while he didn't lead a song, he sang from the front row of the tenors. When Leanna led 248, Twilight Is Falling, I looked at Cugar with a look like we're sneaking up on her because for a long time, that was the only song she would ever lead. I always kid her about how we're out to expand her repertoire.>

91, There is a Fountain - Ronnie Dale Mathis
214, Hosanna - Ronnie Dale Mathis

<That's Lovella Mathis' grandson. You may have read his story in The Tuscalooosa News. Although he apparently didn't have a lick of interest in singing as a kid, he's jumped head over heels into it now, beginning with the singing school, where he was a very diligent student. Of course that makes all of us feel incredibly good. Later in the day after someone else led a song, I don't remember which, Pinina leaned over to Ronnie and told him that was the last song his aunt so-and-so ever led. I think that made a big impression, that his loved one long departed meant enough to her that she would remember something like that.>

149, A Good Time Coming - Emily Creel
19, The Day of Days - Emily Creel
131, Will You Meet Me? - Henry Guthery
64, Youthful Blessings - Henry Guthery
338b, Davis - Ola Meadows
135, Raymond - Ola Meadows
136, Sherburne - James Wagner and Crystal Brown
179, Traveling On - James Wagner and Crystal Brown

<James is always one to try to include new people so they're not just sitting there. He asked if there were anyone who had never heard this type of music before, and when Ms. Brown indicated so, he asked her to join him in the square. Traveling On, 179, used up Cugar's other standby and we exchanged knowing smiles again.>

128t, Hester - Martha Sue Thompson
316, This Heavy Load - Martha Sue Thompson
189, One by One - Louise Crunk and Tim Cook
188t, He Loves Me - Louise Crunk and Tim Cook

<Cugar would only lead if I helped her. I picked out One By One, a not-too-difficult 4/4 song that we beat in 4/4 like her two others. Ola insisted she lead another. He Loves Me, also 4/4, was right on the opposite page, so we led that too. So now Cugar can lead four songs. Woohoo.>

63t, Condescension - Robert DuPree
257, Jubilee - Robert DuPree

<Robert has been practicing 63t Condescension since the singing school. I thought we nailed it, but Ruth and Ola said the timing was off. Next time we'll have to have them beat out the song for us.>

204b, Evening Bells - Henry Guthery.

Lunch.

<Jeff James brought something you don't often see at church dinners, a big bag of white peaches. They were right off his own farm and were scandalously delicious.>

Billy Thompson called singers to order leading 95, Canaan's Land, and then called leaders as follows:
225b, Martin - Bill Stewart

<As happy as we were to be with everyone in the morning, the afternoon just got better with more people we hadn't seen in a long time. You may remember Bill Stewart, the retired UA Poli Sci Dept chair whom the media often call to explain political events. Like Robert DuPree, he first came to our Sacred Harp singing in Tuscaloosa before venturing out into the countryside to singings like Pleasant Hill.>

225t, Kenan - Billy Williams
280, ('t'op or 'b'ottom of the page?) - Billy Williams
59t, Mear - Jared Sanders

<Jared is a friend of Clint Hall, who is Cindy Hall's son and Dawson Dockery's grandson—Clint, that is. Jared is studying voice in college, a professional singer, although this was new to him.>

264, Harwell - Ruth Wyers
240, Morning Light - Ruth Wyers
307, True Happiness - Dawson Dockery
70b, Brown - Dawson Dockery
272, Felicity - Harvey Dockery.
180, The Sinless Summerland - Harvey Dockery.

Ruth Wyers conducted a memorial lesson, leading 68, Bright Mansions, in honor of singers and lovers of Christian Harmony who had gone on to Glory in the intervening year: Woodrow Boyd, Augusta Daniel, Sim Deason, Wayne Mitchell, Charles Sessions. Memorial lesson closed.

The singing resumed with the following leaders:
41t, Mediation - John Merritt
81t, Maitland - John Merritt
   “Nothing But The Blood” (by request)

<John Merritt is originally from Fayette, but he lives in Oxford, Miss., a long trek away for a singing.>

117, Angel Band - Brian Elrod and Bill Stewart

<Brian is a leader of convention book singings in west Alabama. They're having a singing in Cottondale a week from Saturday, which I hope to go to. Bill Stewart likes it too. He's got the same problem that I do: he likes it all.>

128b, Ninety-Fifth - Donna Carol Kornegay
109, Not Made with Hands - Donna Carol Kornegay
110, Volunteers - Emily Creel
284, Don't Grieve Your Mother - Mako Cook
322, Among that Band - Pinina Kane
293, Lenox - Robert DuPree
184, Where We'll Never Grow Old - Jeff James
47, Panting for Heaven - James Wagner
109, Not Made with Hands - David Daniel and Gabriel Sonnier (Gabriel is his grandson)

<Dave and his wife Karen are two other enthusiasts from the singing school. It turns out that you're shirttail relatives (do you say that down here?), which I figured out when their daughter Megan told her little boy Gabriel that Bertha Deason was his great-great grandmother. Dave himself didn't realize he had a kin connection to Christian Harmony. Megan even drew out a chart on a scrap piece of paper: Megan's husband is Brandon Sonnier, the son of Becky Sonnier, the daughter of R.J. Deason, the son of Jewel and Bertha. Made it feel even more like a family reunion. Megan was at Bertha's funeral, but I of course didn't know her or that her parents would become Christian Harmony singers. Dave and I figured that must explain little Gabe's interest in singing (he's five). He stood on a chair next to his grandfather as he led. When we have memorial lessons, I think about the little ones coming up just as much as the departed ones. Megan's other child is a two-year-old girl, Karigan, and her middle name is Jewel.>

55b, Idumea - Eddie Pierce
234, The Singing Christian - Dawson Dockery
77, How Beautiful Heaven Must Be - Caitlin James.

A business session was held. The following officers were elected:
Billy Thompson, President; Henry Guthery, Vice-President; Tim Cook, Secretary/Treasurer. Business session closed.

<We like Henry Guthery so much we made him vice-president! He graciously accepted.>

Announcements were made. Ruth Wyers and Bea Carnathan led 349, Redemption (First), as the closing song.
David Daniel closed the singing with prayer.

Respectfully submitted by Tim Cook