Search The Good Bad & Ugly Gospel Barn

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Child Of The King - Bro. Claude Ely

The Bridegroom Cometh
Walking In His Shadows

Child Of The King

Child Of The King
Bro. Claude Ely
Jewel Recording Studio - Mt. Healthy, Ohio
(The yellow label disk is marked Rite 692, R-521-2 & Rite 18522-2 on the run-out)
Rite Records - Cincinnati, Ohio
Jewel LP NO. 109

This album turned out to be a fantastic find. Note from back cover of this early Jewel pressing indicates that this was Ely's first record (for Jewel). 

Ely made his home in Florence, Kentucky. I found two copies of the album, both the gold and yellow labeled disks in Florence, KY charity shops (The second find came in 2024).

It has been my experience that most local artists of this vintage, recording on Cincinnati area labels such as Jewel or Rite are obscure and many have been lost to history. But not Ely.  He wrote and recorded There Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down), which Johnny Cash recorded. Elvis Presley also records an Ely song and Robet Duvall used Ely's music on the soundtrack of his movie, The Apostle. See Claude Ely's wikipage.

Musicians listed on the back cover include: Phil Miles - Electric Guitar, Denny Rice - Piano, J.D. Jarvis - Tamborine, Rev. Harley Hensley - Rhythm Guitar, Ray Wilson - Steel Guitar, Orangie Ray Hubbard - Bass and Hershell Lively - Drums.

Also from the back cover: He (Ely) appeared and worked on many radio stations including WCPM, Cumberland, Kentucky; WHLN, Harlan, Kentucky; WTCW, Whitesburg, Kentucky; WKIC, Hazard, Kentucky; WPFBm Middletown, Ohio; WNVA, Norton, Virgina; WCLU, Covington, Kentucky, and many others.

The ever present and multi-talented Rusty York wrote the liner notes and did the engineering chores.

Apparently a British label release a CD collection of Ely's tunes in 1993. From the cover, it appears like all the tracks are from his work pressed on a King Records release.

Ely passed away in 1978.

Child Of The King
He Loves Me More And More
The Bridegroom Cometh
Come Unto Me
Standing In The Need Of Prayer
Love Rolled The Shadows Away
It's What You Are Inside
Walking In His Shadows
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven (But Nobody Wants To Die)

4 comments:

  1. Very nice! From the cover I would have expected something like solo hymns with piano or organ accompaniment.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Would love to hear this recording of Rev Claude Ely singing Child of the King. He does a recitation in the song that I have never hear anyone else do. I had his record at one time but have no idea what happened to it. Could you post it to youtube?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have also longed to hear Child of the King NO ONE EVER sang it like Bro Claude. My parents had the album it can be found now on you tube it is several songs just a little befoe 31 minutes here is the link
    https://youtu.be/a0WbxlkBiwg

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looking to hear the child of the king

    ReplyDelete