The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "Songs We Love" (Echo Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "I'm Rejoicing" (Echo Records, 19--?) (LP)
The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "Old Time Singing" (Vision Records, 1967-?) (LP)
(Produced by Jack Pillow & Bill Lott)
The liner notes tell us that this was the Rhythm-Aires' third album, a Capitol custom pressing that spanned three generations of Harris family members. "Dad Harris" appears to be the original patriarch, Wilber Harris, and Assembly of God preacher who got religion at a Texas tent revival and brought the family (and his pastorship) out to California. The next generation included Leon and Jean Harris, followed by eleven-year old Paul, his older brother Calvin, and their sister Karen, who sang a few solo numbers. Additional musicians included guitarist Doug Morris, and pianist-arranger Ruth Logan, who worked with the Harrises on several of their early albums. It's possible that this might be the first album to bear the Vision label imprint, as the first two Rhythm-Aires were on the Echo label.
The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "New Country" (Vision Records, 1968-?) (LP)
For their fourth album, the Rhythm-Aires traveled to Nashville and recorded at the Nugget Records studio, where they were augmented by drummer D. J. Fontana, steel guitar legend Weldon Myrick and Jerry Rivers, who also probably produced the sessions. This lineup of the band also included a fella from Missouri named Ken Rolens, who played dobro and co-wrote a couple of the album's original songs, including the title track, "New Country." The ages of the kids are also given on the back cover -- Calvin (eighteen), Karen (fifteen) and Paul (twelve) -- placing this album at perhaps 1968 or thereabouts. It looks like the Harris tribe had a tradition of touring throughout the year, then making a pilgrimage to Nashville, where they would cut a new album every year. They also seem to enjoy sampling different studios each time, with Leon Harris doubtless making mental notes about how to run a recording business. The back cover also mentions a 7" EP that uses the catalog number GRA-505, which fits between this album and the I'll Never Be Afraid LP below.
The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "I'll Never Be Afraid" (Vision Records, 1969-?) (LP)
This disc, apparently their sixth album, sure has a doozy of an album cover: on the left hand there's a cartoon image of an atomic bomb incinerating an unnamed and presumably sinful big city, while on the opposite side calmly stands the Harris Family, out in a wholesome natural landscape, with the Holy Spirit embracing them from above. 'Nuff said. Another Nashville session, with Ken Rolens on dobro, Roger Ealy playing rhythm guitar, and hired hotshots D. J. Fontana and Weldon Myrick adding their extra bit of Music City magic. All but two of the songs were written by Jean Harris, with the exceptions being a version of "I'll Fly Away" and one called "John The Baptist," which seems to have been written by Central Valley expat Wayne Walters, and sung by thirteen-year old Paul Harris. Also in the mix is Cal's fiancee, a gal named Denise Burchett, who sings lead on a tune called "On Top Of The Mountain."
The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "On Tour: Live Recordings Across The U.S.A. And Canada" (Vision Records, 19--?) (LP)
The group's seventh release, recorded live at various venues over the course of a full year, as they traveled across North America in the family's tour bus. The liner notes mention that Karen Harris had recently married Wayne Johnson, a baritone singer from Alberta, Canada. She later moved to Canada with her husband, and their son Ben Johnson started his own musical ministry. (See the links section below.)
The Singing Harris Family/Various Artists "Heaven/The Rapture" (Vision Records, 1973-?) (LP)
Described as a "simulated post-Rapture news broadcast," this album featured The Gospel Rhythm-Aires, an edition of the Singing Harris Family that included Leon Harris and Cal Harris, Jean Harris, Karen Harris and Paul Harris, along with Ken Rolens. Also performing are The Caves Family and a guy named Bob Heater, who both apparently only recorded on this album.
The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "Heaven Is My Home" (Vision Records, 19--?) (LP)
I'm not sure where this album fits in with the others, since it uses a completely different numbering system... Since it breaks the pattern, I assume it was a later record. It's possible this was the family's tenth record and new numbering system came as a result of the tragedy described below.
The Singing Harris Family "It Won't Be Long Now" (Vision Records, 1974-?) (LP)
The liner notes aren't entirely clear about who's playing on this album, though they picture four family members posed in front of a tour bus and thank "all the Nashville musicians," while mentioning that the sessions were recorded at Hilltop Studios, so probably some of Tommy Hill's usual cast of characters pitched in. Most of the songs are credited to "J. Harris," though it's not 100% clear if this refers to Jean Harris (who wrote the liner notes and was the group's main songwriter) or banjo picker Jim Harris (who gets a solo credit on an instrumental number called "Poor Rich Man." Also of interest is a mention of local picker Ivan Shaw, who apparently married one of the family's daughters, Roxanne, and was Leon Harris's son-in-law. Significantly, the album is dedicated to family member Paul Nathan Harris, who had passed away in October, 1973 in a truly horrific accident that occurred when the Harris's car stalled out on a train track with both Paul and Leon Harris inside; they jumped out of the car and the father survived, though seventeen-year old Paul was struck and killed by an oncoming train. Apparently that tragedy led to the group abandoning the Gospel Rhythm-Aires name, and moving forward simply calling themselves the Harris Family. Heartbreaking, really.
The Singing Harris Family "What A Hallelujah Morning" (Vision Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn)
Another set of predominantly original material, this time more clearly labeled as the work of Jean Harris. This album was also recorded in Nashville, at Doc's Place, though again the studio musicians aren't mentioned by name. The back photo shows four family members, plus a ventriloquist's dummy named Charlene which had been added to their live act. Once again, no release date is given, though clearly this was several years after the Won't Be Long Now LP -- the kids are now teens and the graphics are much more modern. Late 'Seventies, or possibly even early 'Eighties, like maybe '81 or '82?
Jim & Leon "We're Pickin' 'N' Singin' Gospel Bluegrass" (Vision Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Bernie Vaughn)
That would be Leon Harris and his eighteen-year old banjo pickin' son Jim, taking yet another trip to Nashville, where they got some pretty high-power help at the Marty Robbins Studio. Along with the Harris fellas, the sessions included bass player Dewayne Gary, Doug Jernigan (dobro), Benny Kennerson (piano), Steve Nath (drums), and Bruce Watkins on fiddle and guitar. It seems likely that a second bass player, Noel Walters was a relative of Wayne Walters, the onetime leader of the Christian Troubadours, who moved to Nashville at some point and started his own studio, specializing in gospel artists.
The Singing Harris Family "Old Time Favorites" (Vision Records, 1983-?) (LP)
A double LP of fully-committed, pleasantly twangy old-school mountain gospel music, lovingly played by a family stringband from Denair, California, out in the Great Central Valley near Turlock and Modesto. The spirits of Alfred G. Karnes, A. P. Carter, and other Depression era gospel pioneers must look down from the clouds and smile at these craggy, ragged performances which range in style from the barest-bone dulcimer tunes to full-on Chet Atkins-meets-Brother Oswald country pickin.' The deeper you dig into this album, the better it gets, with chiming mandolin and dobro, honey-toned guitars and super-plangent vocals. (Many thanks to the Porterville Music Project for filling this particular gap in the Vision Records discography... And, man, sure I wish I had this one on vinyl!)
Bobbie Kellerhals & The Gospel Rhythm-Aires "My Mother's Bible" (Vision Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Leon Harris)
True, twangy gospel from Porterville, California, just north of Bakersfield... Bobbie Jean Kellerhals (1935-2013) was born in Alabama, but seems to have had deep California roots: she ran a seasonal family fruit stand in Porterville, and was a Pentacostal reverend in a local church, the Southside Assembly of God. Anyway, if you're lookin for real country gospel, this disc's a doozy, particularly since she had a great hillbilly voice, and a musical sensibility that seems rooted in the mid-1950s country style, reminiscent of Jean Shepard or Wanda Jackson. Of particular interest is the backing by the Gospel Rhythm-Aires, in this instance Leon Harris, wife Jean, daughter Karen, her husband Wayne Johnson, and finally Paul Harris, on one of his last recordings. As with other Harris Family records, this disc is packed with plenty of twangy guitar and steel, as well as a deliriously plunky piano... and did I mention I really dig Bobbie Kellerhals' vocals? This one's a gem.
The Singing Harris Family was a gospel-oriented family stringband from Denair, California, a tiny town in the San Joaquin Valley, out near Turlock and Modesto. The group was led by Leon Harris, a local businessman and owner of a fierce little indie label called Vision Records, which produced dozens of albums by obscure regional artists, mainly Central Valley locals and other folks along the West Coast. He most notably recorded a Stockton-based band called The Christian Troubadours which provided backing for some of the other Vision Records artists, as well as some solo records by the band's members, including bass player Bill Carter, who later became a music producer himself. The Harris Family started out recording as The Gospel Rhythm-Aires, with numerous albums listed below. They seem to have abandoned the Rhythm-Aires name following the death of one of their sons, although there may have been some overlap between the two band names. (Note: The Vision Records catalog, like many indies of the era, usually didn't include release dates on their records, and had an idiosyncratic numbering system, so these may not all be listed in the correct order.)
