Gospel Saxophonist Vernard Johnson.
Alto saxophonist Vernard Johnson He's a musical oddity, a gospel saxophonist. His saxophone was considered too raucous for the Gospel circuit when he began playing in the mid-60's, but eventually he became a favorite on the evangelical circuit. Robert Palmer, in "The New York Times," writes, "The force and passion of the man's alto saxophone sounds are matched only by its creamy richness...listeners may think it sounds more like rhythm and blues, rock, or jazz than conventional Gospel music." He has an album called "I'm Alive," on the Elektra Nonesuch label. (Rebroadcast. Original date 8/27/91).
Other segments from the episode on November 29, 1991
Photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz. She's famous for her portraits of celebrities that capture the person behind the public image. She's photographed John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Ella Fitzgerald, Mick Jagger, Tennessee Williams and others. Her photographs have been featured in Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair. There's a new book of her photographs: "Annie Leibovitz Photographs 1970
1990." (Published by Harper/Collins). (Rebroadcast. Original date 9/10/91).
A Star-Studded Botch.
Rock historian Ed Ward continues his look at the last four decades in rock. Today he turns the clock back to 1962.
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Gospel Saxophonist Vernard Johnson.
Alto Saxophonist Vernard Johnson. He's best known for his Gospel playing, performing with preachers like, E.V. Hill, Billy Graham, and Bishop L. H. Ford. His saxophone was considered too raucous for the Gospel circuit when he began playing there in the mid-60's, but eventually he became a favorite on the evangelical circuit.
Henry Louis Gates Jr. On 'The Black Church' And His Own Bargain With Jesus
When he was 12, Gates made a bargain with Jesus in an attempt to save his mother's life. He talks about how that altered his own life, and his new book and PBS series, The Black Church.
Elizabeth King's Gospel Sound Transports Believers And Non-Believers Alike
King made some recordings in the 1970s, but then quit the music business to raise her children. Now in her late 70s, she's released her first full-length solo album: Living in the Last Days.