Brother Joe May was one of the most revered and respected of all the male gospel singers of the post-war era. Raised as a member of the Church of God denomination in Mississippi, where all males are referred to as “Brother”, he sang with the Little Church Out on the Hills’ senior choir and then the Church of God Quartet, building a reputation on the Southern gospel circuit.

His records often used an organ-dominated rhythm section as well as a full choir, and he was sometimes described as a male equivalent of Mahalia Jackson, with whom he sometimes performed. He was sometimes billed as “The Thunderbolt of the Middle West”, and has been described as “arguably the greatest male soloist in the history of gospel music. With a voice of unimaginable range and power, moving from a whisper to a scream without the slightest suggestion of effort.”

This 84-track collection includes many of the A&B sides of his singles on the Specialty and Nashboro label during these years. Many titles from his Nashboro albums The Master’s On Our Side and Walk On And Talk On, not otherwise featured on singles, along with live recordings from between 1952 and 1955, also appear across the four discs.

It features studio and ‘live’ performances with The Sallie Martin Singers, Sister Wynona Carr and The Pilgrim Travellers. Cited as a musical inspiration by Little Richard, this collection is a substantial and reasonably comprehensive overview of the key first decade and more of his career, when he built his reputation, and is an impressive and entertaining showcase for his highly distinctive style and talents as an inspiring communicator and entertainer.

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