Pastor Ron Thompson sang with Edwin Hawkins in the Laney Junior College choir, where they both attended school. Pastor Ron talks about the amazing talent they grew up with, in the Oakland area, and the tradition of “midnight musicals” in the COGIC church. He describes how he was able to navigate his role as a husband, kids, college student, and a full-time job at General Motors while touring with the Edwin Hawkins Singers, and reflects on what prompted his ultimate decision to leave the Edwin Hawkins tour. He talks about The Holy Spirit as an integral part of the choir’s DNA, and how The Holy Spirit  made every performance a ministry.

Highlights:

• Ron meets Edwin during his studies at  Laney Community College;
• Edwin asks Ron to join the Hebrew Boys, and later the Northern California Youth Choir:
• Ron misses the original recording, due to his work schedule at General Motors:
• The success of “Oh Happy Day” inspires GM to give Ronald time off to tour with the choir:
• The. Hebrew Boys record their album while on tour with the Edwin Hawkins singers, in New York: and
• “Oh Happy Day” touches the hearts of people across denominational divides.

Gwendolyn Lee Mitchell is the youngest sister of Arva Campbell and one of the youngest members of The Northern California State Youth Choir, at the age of 14. Gwen talks about growing up in The Bay Area surrounded by the youth of Ephesians Church of God In Christ. She describes being on tour as a family affair, the many siblings who were part of the choir, and the parents who chaperoned when they toured. She shares her favorite songs on the album and how this music became an important part of who she is today.

Highlights:

• A shy Gwen is invited into what would become The Edwin Hawkins Singers, after simply singing the scales;
• Ed’s arrangements of gospel music really spoke to her as a singer;
• Gwen performs at the choir’s first big concert at the University of California Berkeley’s Greek Theatre, with Cannonball Adderley and Nina Simone;
• Gwen performs at Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Gardens, flying in an airplane for the first time, and meeting celebrities like Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and José Feliciano; and
• Gwen stops touring with the choir to turn her focus back to finishing high school.

In the next episode, meet Pastor Ronald Thompson, a classmate of Edwin Hawkins and another voice in the choir.

Diane Williams, cousin of Co-Host, Clara Williams shares a story that is part of the motivating force behind the creation of this podcast. Diane talks about growing up in the Church of God In Christ, with a family who loved gospel music. She shares her journey from shame to self-love, after becoming a pregnant teen. She talks about the people who influenced the music of that era and celebrates how singing in the choir healed her life.

Highlights:

• Just after high school, a young Diane becomes pregnant and is shunned and isolated for her “sin.”
• Shortly after the birth of her son, Diane is disappointed because she could not participate in the first national tour with the Edwin Hawkins singers; 
• Diane takes cousin Clara’s spot on the second tour, when Clara decides to go to college; and
• Diane discovers ministry and healing through song. 

In the next episode, Gwendolyn Lee Mitchell shares her experience as one of the youngest members of the choir.

Donald Casimere was a member of the choir at Ephesians Church of God In Christ, when Edwin Hawkins was both the church organist and choir director. He shares his experience as a baritone-bass on the original recording of the album, “Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord” which included the recording “Oh Happy Day”.  Donald describes Edwin’s ability to bring out the best in every voice in the choir. He provides a unique perspective on the era. He received a very low draft lottery number and chose to enlist in US Air Force at the height of the Vietnam War when “Oh Happy Day” became a hit. He reveals the impact of being a young, black man from Berkeley, who was placed in the jungle of Thailand during a time of war, as a testimony to his faith.

Highlights:

• Donald joins the choir, along with his sister Bonita and brother, Ronald. They perform on the original recording of the  ‘Oh Happy Day” album and reflects upon the presence of the Holy Spirit during the recording;
• Donald graduates Berkeley High School and enrolls in the Police academy, then is suddenly decides to enlist after receiving a low draft lottery number;
• Donald is with a group of Black GI's in a remote outpost in Thailand when “Oh Happy Day’ is played on the radio; and
• Edwin’s music represents a new sound in gospel music. Church leaders are divided in their approval, with the debate of “holy vs worldly music”.

In the next episode, Diane Williams talks about the impact of growing up in a strict Pentecostal household, becoming a teenage mother, and being ostracized by her family as the biggest challenge of her life.  A last-minute opportunity to join the choir on tour came up after her son was born. And with the support from her mother after Ed said she could tour with the group her mission to be an advocate for young girls who find themselves in similar situations she went through.

Arvanderlyn “Arva” Campbell was a member of the Northern California Youth Choir of the Church of God and Christ (COGIC) and an original member of the Edwin Hawkins Singers. She talks about “singing with the anointing" and being a part of a gospel hit record, against the socio-political backdrop of the Vietnam War, the assassination of MLK, racial uprisings  “flower children”, and the free love movement - and how this experience shaped her life and began  her life long passion of traveling and becoming an education advocate for children. 

Highlights:

• Growing up in Berkeley, California in the COGIC community - its structure, and the life of families in the COGIC;
• Leaving home to travel, after high school when news of the fame of “Oh Happy Day” hit;
• Leaving Berkeley to go away to college for her freshman year in Oregon, choosing not to return to Oregon after her first year there and gratefully being granted the opportunity by Edwin to be a part of the new Ediwin Hawkins Singers, upon her return; and

• Becoming a part of the previous untold history, with the performance at the Harlem Cultural Music Festival in 1969, which was profiled in the Summer of Soul documentary as directed by Questlove. 

In the next episode, Donald Casimere shares his very special perspective, as a veteran of The Vietnam War.

Kathy Gaines continues the discussion on rote learning versus how black choirs learned music “by ear”, which allowed the spread of Edwin’s music to other churches. Kathy talks about Edwin’s unique teaching style and his influence on choir directors in the COGIC church.  She reflects on how Ed, with varying degrees of talent, was able to cultivate the sound he wanted. She recounts the time when gospel music crossed over into secular space, and celebrates all the lives touched as a result.

Hig   dinners and other fundraisers to generate money for their trip.

• Mattie Moss Clarke hears the Northern California Youth Choir sing, and rises to her feet in praise!
• Kathy is floored when she hears ”Oh Happy Day” played on the radio, alongside gospel greats Aretha Franklin, The Dorsey Sisters and Mahalia Jackson.
• The ministry evolves and the music of the COGIC church is spread in non traditional spaces in the secular world - like jazz festivals and rock concerts.

In the next episode meet Arva Campbell, one of the original members of The Edwin Hawkins Singers.

Kathy Gaines was one of the original members of the Northern California State Youth Choir. She speaks of her family’s migration from the rural South to The West - first Berkeley, then Oakland, California. Encouraged to sing at an early age, Kathy performed without shyness or reservation. Kathy explores the rich music history and legacy of hymnals in the black church and the evolution of gospel music. She recalls the “first families”of music in the Bay Area, women leaders of the COGIC, and the standard of excellence that was set in gospel music during this unprecedented time.

Highlights:

When a bus full of church members breaks down, Kathy’s mother suggests she entertain them with a song. Kathy performs her first solo at church, “Jesus Loves Me”;

Kathy joins the Northern California Youth State Choir. Children from different COGIC churches come together to represent the Northern California district in a way never represented before; and 

The choir finds ways to overcome the unique challenges of travel for black folks in the 1960s.

In the next episode, the conversation continues, with Kathy Gaines.

Clara Williams recalls the moment that catapulted “Oh Happy Day” onto the radio waves and into the hearts of people across the country. She chronicles the series of events, surprising changes and tense moments that followed. Clara speaks of  coming of age on a national tour, shortly after the death of her mother - and some of the most treasured performers who emerged during this era.

Highlights:

• How “Oh Happy Day” becomes an overnight sensation, and peer and community reaction that was beyond anything they ever imagined;
• A special business meeting is called to change the name to the Edwin Hawkins singers - and whether the Northern California Youth Choir would continue to exist;.
• Clara challenges Edwin for making deals and taking action on his own, without informing the choir, but decides to stay with the Edwin Hawkins Singers; and
• Performing with The Beach Boys, and performing at rock festivals with everyone from Diana Ross and The Jackson Five.

In the next episode, receive a lesson in San Francisco/Oakland gospel music history from Kathy Gaines.

Clara Williams reflects on growing up in West Oakland, California and attending  Berkeley High School. Her father started his ministry as an associate ordained minister at Ephesians Church of God In Christ (COGIC) - known for its flagship status as one of the largest pentecostal churches in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area during the early sixties. Clara shares her experiences as a “PK” (preacher’s kid) when her father “accepted the call”  and became a full-time pastor at the “Power House”, COGIC, while maintaining  a full-time job with the City of Berkeley.  She admires her Dad, who subsequently received a doctorate in Divinity. Clara shares the strong community values she learned during her childhood, In speaking of  the Crystalettes, a family social club that her parents and other African American  families created to provide a wholesome supportive space for their families. Clara recalls the origins of the Northern California State Youth Choir of the Church of God in Christ, started by bay area gospel singer celebrities,  Edwin Hawkins and Betty Watson. Clara recounts the gospel scene in the Bay Area and the prominent gospel groups during the 1960s. She remembers her rich experience, and describes the “Oh Happy Day” recording and performances as a testimony she wants to share.

Highlights:

In 1966, Clara discovers the Northern California Youth Choir, and sees an opportunity to have additional church activities outside of her father’s church;

The choir’s recording project to sell their own music, begins as a fundraiser to finance a trip to an east coast COGIC youth conference, becomes an unexpected mega billboard hit;

Dorothy Morrison,  a member of Clara’s church, is selected as  the lead singer, and “Oh Happy Day” is recorded in 1968;

Despite the excitement of the recording, Clara’s family faces the challenge of her mother’s diagnosis of a life long heart condition she could no longer endure without surgical intervention  in 1968, and she is worried that her mother may not survive the new surgical procedures; and

In the next episode, Clara’s story continues and “Oh Happy Day” becomes an overnight success.

 Steven 

Hi, my name is Steven Williams. 

Clara 

And my name is Clara Williams. 

Steven 

We would like to introduce you to our podcast series, Voices From The Choir: Oh Happy Day Reflections. I will be your host for these nine episodes as we hear the personal stories from some of the original members of the Northern California State Youth Choir of the Church of God in Christ. As they reflect on their amazing journey in 1969 singing in the State Youth Choir. After recording an album to raise money to travel to a church choir competition, things change when one of the songs broke out to be a hit record. The song was Oh Happy Day, and its success changed everything. It changed their lives and changed the gospel music world, even to this day. The choir transformed into the Edwin Hawkins Singers, and they were thrust into taking their gospel message onto the world stage, performing with some of the biggest artists in music. 

Clara 

During our 50 years of marriage, Steve and I have often discussed telling the story of the Northern California State Youth Choir’s journey from a denominational church choir into one of the world's top recording artists. We are excited to share for the first time the stories of some of the choir members journey. I am one of the voices you will hear along with some of the original members of the Northern California State Youth Choir. In 1968, the choir recorded an album titled Let US Go Into the House of the Lord. This album included Oh Happy Day. In the spring of 1969, Oh Happy Day reached the US top five on the Billboard charts. On its way to selling 7 million records and won a Grammy Award. 

Steven 

The inspiration for this podcast is from the Academy Award winning documentary Summer of Soul, directed by Questlove, which was centered around the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a seminal African-American cultural event that went untold for 50 years. You're going to be hearing stories about growing up in the Bay Area with its rich gospel music history. You will hear stories about raising families, building community and finding joy in spiritual food and daily life. 

Clara 

Seeing footage of the choir singing at the Harlem Cultural Festival captured in the Summer of Soul documentary sparked the flame to share stories of our collective yet individual reflections as some of the original members of the Edwin Hawkins Singers. The Harlem Cultural Festival represented one of the many entertainment venues the choir sang at. We sing at rock festivals, jazz festivals, concert halls, Yankee Stadium, and appear on popular television shows of the day. This is a time to tell our story, which has remained stored in our collective memories but not shared beyond friends and 

family. These reflections show the impact of the music from the album. Let us go to the House of the Lord and how its message impacted the world in our lives. 

Steven 

Yes, the stories of the teens and young adults who grew up in the Bay Area in the shadow of the civil rights movement, the Black Panther movement, and the protests surrounding the escalation of the Vietnam War. Their music provided a message for the world to cope with the national and global issues at that time and continues to resonate today. We hope you will be inspired and encouraged by the stories that you will hear. You can find Voices From The Choir Oh Happy Day Reflections wherever you listen to podcasts.