"Gos-Pop"

The Kindly Shepherds - Lend Me a Hand

Chess Records, like most other R&B independents of its time, had a gospel catalogue. The majority of gospel releases came out on Checker, although Rev. C. L. Franklin's sermons had their own series on Chess itself. The mid-'60s Checker gospel releases often featured what Chess A&R man Ralph Bass referred to as a "gos-pop" sound. The Chess studio band was in full-swing by this time, and on many records they played and provided very soulful backing to groups such as The Meditation Singers (from where Laura Lee made her debut), The Soul Stirrers and others. One great LP from that era was "Sunday Gospel Open House" (Checker), a compilation of tracks from various gospel artists. Today's selection is taken from that album and is exemplary of the "gos-pop" approach, as the Kindly Shepherds spread their message over a driving Northern Soul groove.