Sunday Sermonette: Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers -- "Wonderful"

If Sam Cooke is the epitome of what it means to be a soul singer, the group The Soul Stirrers embody all of what rock and roll contains. Within his sound, the secular and the profane walk side by side, with this explosive vocal delivery that is essentially the heart of who he is, crying out to God.  Are the vocals on this song really that far removed from You Send Me?

Formed in 1935, The Soul Stirrers were a quintet that insisted on having two frontmen -- one to sing high and sweet, the other to sing low, with grit -- and set the foundation for gospel, doo-wop, soul and R&B. You can hear where Smokey Robinson, Curtis Mayfield, Al Greene, Teddy Pendergrass and countless others got their sound.  The Soul Stirrers were inducted into The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, which gives me at least one good reason to believe that organization isn't completely full of crap for the great ones they consistently overlook.  Like blues guitar icon Hubert Sumlin.

Listen and be blessed.

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Wonderful, God is so wonderful
he's wonderful, God he's wonderful

The Lord is my shepherd, he's my guide
Whenever I need, the Lord will provide
And praise my lords name
I know he's so wonderful

And O, he's wonderful and I better believe
The Lord is wonderful, oh yes he is
And O, he's wonderful, I know the Lord
he's so wonderful

And O, if you never tried God, try the Lord one day
And see when my father come down and make a way
And O, i can't help it but love God
he's so wonderful, wonderful etc.

He's been my mother and my father too
There's no limit to what my Lord can do

and O, I love God, he's so wonderful