VMP today announces Truth Is Where It's At: The Best of Gospel Truth, a VMP-curated, exclusive box set that chronicles highlights from Stax Records’ 1972 gospel imprint, which features 6 albums that are now being reissued for the first time in over 40 years. Read below to learn more about the box set and click here to read an excerpt from the liner notes, written by Memphis journalist Jared “Jay B.” Boyd.
As a label known for the Memphis Sound, Stax launched a gospel imprint meant to “bridge the gap between the street corner and the church pew.” They called it Gospel Truth, and for three years, it released gospel music that crackled with the intensity of their past successes.
“Truth Is Where It's At: The Best of Gospel Truth celebrates the diverse sounds cultivated by a short-lived label, unafraid to merge the era’s rock and soul with a spiritual movement and message. From the imprint’s star Bishop Rance Allen to the singular eponymous album of Blue Aquarius, this box set commemorates a short, but inspiring, part of Stax’s history,” said VMP’s Director of Music, and Truth is Where It’s At executive producer, Andrew Winistorfer. “Like our VMP Anthology series, this box helps you discover lost albums and find them anew, giving attention to albums that deserve to be remastered and remembered.”
Limited to 1,000 numbered copies, the box set includes 6LPs on 180g black vinyl, with AAA lacquers cut from the original tapes by Ryan Smith of Sterling Sound, and comes with a special 20-page Listening Notes booklet to tell the story of each album, written by Memphis music journalist Jared Boyd.
The box set includes: The Rance Allen Group’s The Rance Allen Group, Maceo Woods and The Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir’s Jesus People, Louise McCord’s A Tribute to Mahalia Jackson, Clarence Smith’s Whatever Happened to Love, The Gospel Artistics’ The Gospel Artistics and Blue Aquarius’ Blue Aquarius.Exclusive 15% Off for Teachers, Students, Military members, Healthcare professionals & First Responders - Get Verified!