Ira Tucker

I don't see anyone else in my immediate blogging circle talking about this, but I feel obliged(note: NOT obligated!)to...long time gospel fans need to take note of this passing.

Two days ago, Ira Tucker, lead singer for probably the top black gospel quartet of all time, the Dixie Hummingbirds, passed away from heart complications. He was 83 years of age, and to that day was still a performing member of the quartet, which he first joined as a youngster in 1938.

Tucker was probably the first man to be a stylist in black gospel music. With the 'Birds, he specialized in what became known in the 1950s as the "hard" quartet sound. On record and in person, that style was exemplified by lots of note bending and syncopated rhythms, and out-and-out screaming at times...but never for its' own sake...he screamed on-key.

The 'Birds started as a jubilee-styled quartet(the predominant style of the day among black quartets...modeled on the famous Golden Gate Quartet)before evolving into the more syncopated, rhythmic styled quartet they became known for being in the 1940s and 1950s, when they quickly became known as black gospel's preeminent quartet.

For their arrangements, despite their occasional freneticism, at times were quite sophisticated. Tucker and the 'Birds were exceptional musicians, and as their reputation grew, they became widely known even with white audiences.

Tucker would often leap off stage into the audience, never losing his place in the song, but working up a tremendous level of energy that would mesmerize his concert and church audiences. Onstage during certain songs, he would drop to his knees as if in prayer, still not missing a beat or a spot. Quartets were the primary focus of black gospel in those days, and many aspiring young black singers raised in church either sang in quartets, or yearned to join one.

Tucker and the Dixie Hummingbirds were not only influential on other quartets, but on singers who chose to make their musical mark outside gospel. Among artists heavily influenced by the Dixie Hummingbirds were the Temptations, the Isley Brothers, the Four Tops, and the Impressions. Tucker himself influenced the likes of Bobby Bland, Jackie Wilson, Solomon Burke, and Wilson Pickett.

And many white gospel quartets were fans of the Dixie Hummingbirds as well. The Blackwood Brothers recorded their song "The Devil Can't Harm A Praying Man" in 1959, and their "Live Right, Die Right" at about that same time...and the Statesmen were likewise fans as well. And as styles changed with time, Tucker and the Dixie Hummingbirds likewise adapted, eventually getting some backhanded recognition for singing backup on Paul Simon's big 1970s hit, "Loves Me Like A Rock"(which the Oak Ridge Boys also recorded).

When Tucker started singing, gospel music was by no means considered a ministry...it was a way of life for musically inclined black people. The choice for them usually came down to the blues(secular)or gospel(church). Some black singers, Tucker notable among them, could not bring themselves to sing anything other than gospel or spiritual music professionally...the biggest reason why talented quartets such as the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Harmonizing Four, the Sensational Nightingales, and the Mighty Clouds of Joy remained in gospel rather than "crossing over" into the R&B and pop worlds.

In any case, Tucker was an icon in the field of black gospel music, especially black gospel quartet music. As one who learned early on to appreciate all kinds of music, I wanted to take this space to salute the memory and the legacy of one of the all-time masters of the craft.

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