For the Golden Slipper Orchid, see Paphiopedilum armeniacum

Paphiopedilum armeniacum

Paphiopedilum armeniacum, described in 1982, is a species of orchid commonly called the Golden Slipper Orchid. The plant size is small compared to other paphiopedilum species...

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"Golden Slippers" is a spiritual

Spiritual (music)

Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...

 popularized in the years following the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 by the Fisk Jubilee Singers

Fisk Jubilee Singers

The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American a cappella ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for their college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditional spirituals, but included some Stephen Foster songs...

. The song is also known by its opening line, "What Kind of Shoes You Gwine (Going) To Wear". The song became the basis for a minstrel show

Minstrel show

The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....

 parody song, "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers", which itself became an American musical standard. The parody song is also frequently referred to as "Golden Slippers".

As presented in its earliest recordings, "Golden Slippers" is a stirring and proud song, considerably different than its rather jaunty parody. In it, the lead singer asks the choir what kind of finery they will wear in going to join the Heavenly choir. The lyrics for the first stanza are:

What kind of shoes you goin’ to wear? / Golden slippers! / What kind of shoes you goin’ to wear? / Golden slippers!

Golden slippers I’m bound to wear, / To outshine the glittering sun. / Oh, yes, yes, yes my Lord, / I’m going to join the Heavenly choir. / Yes, yes, yes my Lord, / Soldier of the cross.

Although there are variations between existing recordings, subsequent stanzas involve a "long white robe" (as in "O Dem Golden Slippers"), a "starry crown", a "new song", and a "golden harp".

Over the first half of the twentieth century, various recordings of the song as "Golden Slippers" were made by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the Golden Echo Quartet, the Tuskegee Institute (University) Singers, Wood's Famous Blind Jubilee Singers & Cotton Belt Quartet, and the Wiseman Quartet.

As "What Kind Of Shoes You Gwine To Wear", the song was recorded in the late 1920s with a considerably different up-tempo melody and playful arrangement by William Rexroat and his Cedar Crest Singers. As the chorus sings each of the questions and responses, the lead singer interjects a smart-aleck answer before joining with them. (An example: "I'm goin' to wear my old work shoes!" to "What kind of shoes you gwine to wear, golden shoes".)

A performance of this latter arrangement appeared on the 1973 folk album "Lonesome Robin" by Bob Coltman, as "What Kind of Shoes".

"Golden Slippers" is the opening song in the 20th Century-Fox film "Golden Girl" (1951), a musical about the early life and career of 19th century stage star Lotta Crabtree. Lotta (Mitzi Gaynor) and her Pa (James Barton, a former Vaudeville song-and-dance man) sing and tap dance the song to banjo accompaniment until interrupted by an annoyed Mary Ann Crabtree (Una Merkel).

In the 1970s, "Golden Slippers" was adapted as the TV commercial jingle for the General Mills

General Mills

General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...

 breakfast cereal Golden Grahams

Golden Grahams

Golden Grahams is a brand of breakfast cereal owned by General Mills. It consists of small toasted square shaped cereal pieces made of whole wheat and corn. The taste is a mix of honey and brown sugar...

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