Live at the Bear in Chicago

Bessie Griffin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 17, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AHU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,972 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Announcement

2. Are You Sure

3. Hold Me

4. My Sweet Home

5. Didn't It Rain

6. Two Wings

7. Same Train

8. By The River

9. I Won't Turn Around

10. Move Up A Little Higher

11. A Gospel Lullaby

12. Wade In The Water

13. Caught Up To Meet Him

14. I Won't Be Trouble No More

15. When The Saints Go Marching In

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bessie at one of her best available, February 16, 2003

By 

Roger L. Vandermeer (Garden Grove, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at the Bear in Chicago (Audio CD)

I have followed Bessie for many years until her death. I have seen her in clubs, churches and coffee houses of the '50's. She is at her best in churches, but if you want to hear her power, it is here in this album. She has appeared at the Montreux Blues Festival as well as singing at the Los Angeles Museum of Art. From the jacket of her album 'Bessie Griffin at the Montreux Blues Festival' are the lines, 'That Bessie Griffin is one of the greatest gospel singers America has produced has long been known by the singers who call her 'unbeatable' by the disc jockeys who named her 'Queen of the South' and especially by the church members who have been touched and blessed by her performances for over twenty years. Bessie, a native of New Orleans has suffered enough to make her the greatest blues singer of our time, but she never sold out'. Her backup group 'The Gospel Pearls' included a then unknown Dolore Addison, who changed her name to Dolores Hall. Dolores has appeared on TV and in the motion picture 'Leap of Faith' with Steve Martin. Bessie also appeared with Mel Carter in the production 'Swing Down Sweet Chariot' in Los Angeles.Her independent realeses only available at her appearances remain. With the death of Clara Ward and Bessie Griffin, the gospel of the '50's has died. Only John Edmonds from Bowling Green Kentucky promotes the this style of gospel music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A singer that deserves more attention, October 5, 2002

By 

Tholly Rosmundsdottir (Reykjavik, Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live at the Bear in Chicago (Audio CD)

I first came across Bessie Griffin's awesome voice on an LP compilation many years ago and have been searching for more from this singer ever since. Hearing her rendition of the song "Too close" is something one will never forget! On this cd, however, most of the songs are uptempo, fast style and the background provided by the musicians is too much alike from one song to another. Still this is a very lively cd and well worth having since there's not too much to be found by this unique singer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I WAS THERE, December 10, 2005

By 

John Scott "John Scott" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at the Bear in Chicago (Audio CD)

When this recording was made at The Bear, an astonishing club/restaurant housed in two adjoining Louis Sullivan mansions across from Chicago's great Medinah Temple, the stage needed to be reinforced to accomodate all six Gospel Pearls as they stomped and jumped through this fantastic recording. The Bear, started by the irrespressible Howard Alk, formerly of Second City, took over L'Aiglon, a 40 year old classic French restaurant and re-opened with Louis Bussiere, chef, in the kitchen and Bob Dylan, singer, on stage. The Gospel Pearls were one in a string of fantastic performers, including Laurendo Almeida, Ian and Sylvia and most amazingly, Muddy Waters, that played in this incredible club.