1973
EARLY ONE MORNING * SISTER POPE & THE PEARLY GATES * NASHBORO 998 * USA
Originally released on Eddo then on VJ 943, a timeless track that was reissued again on Nashboro in 1973 as above; all three issues have the same A side Almighty God with Larry Blivens singing lead, unaccredited.
Early One Morning, is a fantastic slice of spine tingling Gospel, is about seeing the immanence of ones own death! and whether it is viewed in a religious context or just as a matter of fact, the reality of our eventual death is a profound matter and I think Sister Pope and the boys do us a service with this spiritually uplifting reminder. Sister Lucile Pope is far from dead! and is in fact still performing with four guys called The Pearly Gates, though some of the original members are now deceased. And while Sister Lucile Pope & The Pearly Gates have been recording since at least the early 1960s through today - this is, possibly, her second release for Nashboro - she says of herself that she has been called "the best kept secret in Gospel music".