.Johnson - "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley" (St John's Methodist - Kansas City, MO)

OFFERTORY ANTHEM "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley"
(Traditional spiritual arranged by Victor C. Johnson, 2017)
Chancel Choir; Dale Morehouse, conductor and pianist
St. John's Methodist - Kansas City, MO
June 09, 2024
My former SMU colleague C. Michael Hawn explains:
The origins of this folk hymn are shrouded in obscurity. It first appeared in U.S.A. hymnals during the second half of the twentieth century. Its frequency of inclusion increased by the end of the last century and continues into the current one. Although listed as an American folk hymn in most hymnals, it appears that its origins may be found in a conflation of the Appalachian folk song tradition and the African American spiritual.
As is usual for songs passed down orally, various texts can be heard to this melody that has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Andy Griffith, George Jones and many others; Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie even sang it together, and Johnny Cash sang an outlaw cowboy rendition. This earnest, reflective setting is by Dallas’s Victor C. Johnson. Decisions to follow the teachings and practices of Jesus of Nazareth don’t always come easily, and this song shares the weight of such a personal decision.