The history of Roy Acuff is the stuff of legend.  Acuff enjoyed a long, prolific career of country music rising to star status with the Grand Ole Opry, performing in films, and even forming a music publishing company with songwriter, Fred Rose (Acuff-Rose).  Acuff-Rose gave birth to Hickory Records, which, in turn, released some of Roy Acuff’s music.  Hand-Clapping Gospel Songs (1963) is one of those albums. 

Gospel music was a form of music that was dear to Acuff’s heart.  He grew up Baptist as his father was a pastor in Tennessee.  Roy Acuff sang gospel at his father’s church and never forsook it as he grew in legend as a legitimate Country star (he was the first living inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1962, preceded by first inductees (1961) Fred Rose, Hank Williams, and Jimmie Rodgers).

The songs on this album include “old-timey” gospel written by Hank Williams (“Jesus Died For Me,” “I Saw the Light”); Albert Brumley (the magnificent “I’ll Fly Away,” “Turn Your Radio On”); Fred Rose (“Wait For the Light to Shine,” “Thanks God”); and other well-known traditional Country gospel tunes.  As well as the original 12-track album, Varese Vintage, in resurrecting this Acuff classic, has added six bonus tracks that include several two previously unreleased songs (“Hallelujah Square,” “From Cradle to Cross to Crown”) and collected songs from other official releases, two of which are Roy Acuff favourites (“The Great Speckled Bird,” “The Precious Jewel”).

If you appreciate “old-timey” Country in the vein of Tex Ritter, and/or Hank Williams, or even a classic bluegrass style, you’ll love this Roy Acuff disc of “new” gospel standards.  Roy Acuff died in 1992 at the old age of 89, having lived an enviably fruitful and fulfilling life.  Hand-Clapping Gospel Songs is one of his enduring classics.  Many thanks to Varese Vintage, a collecting arm of Varese Sarabande, for having a genuine interest in all kinds of music and for keeping it within our grasp should we want it.