JD Sumner
John Daniel Sumner (born November 19, 1924 in Lakeland , Florida , † November 16, 1998 in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina ), almost always called JD Sumner , was an American singer and songwriter, mainly in the gospel field . He became famous for his exceptionally deep bass voice and as a musical accompanist for Elvis Presley . Until 1984 he was considered the singer with the deepest voice in the world (according to the Guinness Book of World Records, he reached the frequency of 32.7 Hz for the song Blessed Assurance ).
Career
JD Sumner began his singing career in the mid-1940s in local gospel quartets in Florida. In 1949, the Sunshine Boys, who were based in Atlanta and already enjoyed national popularity, hired him. With this ensemble Sumner recorded several hundred songs (Langworth Transcriptions). When the bass singer of the Blackwood Brothers (gospel quartet from Memphis) died in a plane crash in 1954, Sumner left the Sunshine Boys with a heavy heart to sing with the already well-known Blackwoods. In addition to his duties as a singer, Sumner developed another talent. He wrote several hundred gospel songs, some of which were very successfully published. After several successful years with this formation, Sumner and James Blackwood bought the Stamps music publisher including the associated quartet in 1963. In 1965 Sumner switched to the Stamps Quartet as a bass singer and took over its management. He later renamed the quartet the JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet.
The group itself was also successful, but did not match the popularity of the bass player, which he had mainly gained by accompanying Elvis Presley at many live concerts. He was also on the studio recordings. The collaboration lasted from 1971 to 1977. On several posthumously published DVDs Elvis and Sumner can be seen and heard at rehearsals. They had a close relationship, and Sumner occasionally let Elvis do the bass part in gospel sessions, but liked to trump him by an octave or two in the final chord . JD Sumner and his quartet were also on stage at Elvis Presley's last concert on June 26, 1977. He then released the single Elvis has left the building .
After Elvis Presley's death, Sumner initially took a break from the stage until his former companions from the times of the gospel quartets asked him to join a new legendary gospel quartet. He accepted and sang from 1980 with James Blackwood, Hovie Lister, Jake Hess and Rosie Rozell as The Masters V, who also received a Grammy Award. After some personal changes in this quartet, Sumner renamed the formation in October 1987 and reappeared as JD Sumner and the Stamps. Although he was probably known to most music fans through his association with Elvis, Sumner remained true to his favorite music - Southern Gospel - until his death.
Discography
- I am a pilgrim
- You'll Never Walk Alone
- Where Could I Go
- Anytime, anywhere
swell
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sumner, JD |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sumner, John Daniel (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 19, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Lakeland , Florida , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 16, 1998 |
| Place of death | Myrtle Beach , South Carolina , United States |