Claude Ely
Encyclopedia
"Brother" Claude Ely was a religious singer-songwriter
and a Pentecostal Holiness preacher.
Brother Claude Daniel Ely, coined as the King Recording Label’s “Gospel Ranger” of the Appalachian Mountains
, was born in Pucketts Creek, Virginia
. He was the first Pentecostal Holiness recording artist to be signed to a major recording label for strictly sacred music and songs.
Receiving fame for his penned song, "There Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down)", Ely’s musical style and spiritual influence still exist today among both secular and sacred music enthusiasts. Although Bozie Sturdivant was the first to record Brother Claude Ely's tune in 1941 with the help of the US Library of Congress' field recordings, Ely had penned the song in 1934. King Records of Cincinnati helped Brother Claude Ely copyright the song in 1953. Many Hollywood entertainers and musical artists have acknowledged their admiration and fascination for Brother Claude Ely. Often music historians attest that other musical artists cite Brother Claude Ely as having been a positive influence on their works as well. Elvis' mother Gladys brought Elvis Presley to Ely's tent revivals. Artists recording Brother Claude Ely's songs include Elvis Presley
and Johnny Cash
. Robert Duvall
's self-produced movie entitled The Apostle also integrated Brother Claude Ely's music on its soundtrack.
Ely pastored various churches in Kentucky
, Virginia and the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Ely also hosted a radio program entitled "The Gospel Ranger Show" which aired across the southeastern portion of the United States. Many of Ely's religious followers and numerous admirers still exist today in the Appalachian mountains.
Ely's great nephew, Dr. Macel Ely II, wrote an official biography on Brother Claude Ely's life. The book is based upon oral history ascertained from over 1,000 personal interviews Dr. Ely conducted with musical artists, ministers, and Appalachian residents who remembered the singer/preacher. The book is a "set" consisting of the earlier mentioned book and a music CD. The set is entitled Ain't No Grave: The Life & Legacy of Brother Claude Ely was released in 2010 by Dust-to-Digital out of Atlanta, Georgia.
American VI: Ain't No Grave
is a posthumous album by Johnny Cash
. It was released on February 26, 2010, which would have been Cash's 78th birthday. Using Brother Claude Ely's song "Ain't No Grave" as the title track, the LA Times Reports that the song would have been Johnny Cash's last recorded song before his death.
Eddie Dean, writer for The Washington Post
stated:
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and a Pentecostal Holiness preacher.
Brother Claude Daniel Ely, coined as the King Recording Label’s “Gospel Ranger” of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
, was born in Pucketts Creek, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He was the first Pentecostal Holiness recording artist to be signed to a major recording label for strictly sacred music and songs.
Receiving fame for his penned song, "There Ain’t No Grave (Gonna Hold My Body Down)", Ely’s musical style and spiritual influence still exist today among both secular and sacred music enthusiasts. Although Bozie Sturdivant was the first to record Brother Claude Ely's tune in 1941 with the help of the US Library of Congress' field recordings, Ely had penned the song in 1934. King Records of Cincinnati helped Brother Claude Ely copyright the song in 1953. Many Hollywood entertainers and musical artists have acknowledged their admiration and fascination for Brother Claude Ely. Often music historians attest that other musical artists cite Brother Claude Ely as having been a positive influence on their works as well. Elvis' mother Gladys brought Elvis Presley to Ely's tent revivals. Artists recording Brother Claude Ely's songs include Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards and a BAFTA over the course of his career....
's self-produced movie entitled The Apostle also integrated Brother Claude Ely's music on its soundtrack.
Ely pastored various churches in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Virginia and the Cincinnati, Ohio area. Ely also hosted a radio program entitled "The Gospel Ranger Show" which aired across the southeastern portion of the United States. Many of Ely's religious followers and numerous admirers still exist today in the Appalachian mountains.
Ely's great nephew, Dr. Macel Ely II, wrote an official biography on Brother Claude Ely's life. The book is based upon oral history ascertained from over 1,000 personal interviews Dr. Ely conducted with musical artists, ministers, and Appalachian residents who remembered the singer/preacher. The book is a "set" consisting of the earlier mentioned book and a music CD. The set is entitled Ain't No Grave: The Life & Legacy of Brother Claude Ely was released in 2010 by Dust-to-Digital out of Atlanta, Georgia.
American VI: Ain't No Grave
American VI: Ain't No Grave
Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews"...
is a posthumous album by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
. It was released on February 26, 2010, which would have been Cash's 78th birthday. Using Brother Claude Ely's song "Ain't No Grave" as the title track, the LA Times Reports that the song would have been Johnny Cash's last recorded song before his death.
Eddie Dean, writer for The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
stated:
...and Holiness preachers such as Brother Claude Ely rave on like renegade rockabilly cats ... You have Brother Claude Ely doing radio broadcasts that sound like a tent revival ... I think his material is as strong as anything Sun Studio did. Even the wildest rockabilly rarely reached the unhinged delirium of "There Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down," ... A Holiness preacher from Kentucky, Ely was a faith healer and a terrific guitarist, judging from the ferocious rockabilly rhythms on "Grave," a country hit in 1953. Ely and many others ... foreshadow the rock-and-soul explosion, when church-reared performers such as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin fused sanctified and secular style to revoltionize pop music.