Pre-Christmas Gospel At Community Coffeehouse

DANBURY — The Soul Lifters and Mighty Angels of Faith, two men’s gospel groups from Waterbury who have been spreading their message for more than half a century between them, will perform Saturday, December 16 at Community Coffeehouse.

The coffeehouse is at 7 Madison Avenue, just off North Street. Admission and refreshments are free.

The Soul Lifters have appeared several times at the Danbury venue and are returning for their second annual pre-Christmas appearance. The group has been around since 1962.

Elmore Morgan, the group’s leader, said he, Curtis Rountree and Clarence “Mutt” Banks formed the group 38 years ago because they wanted to develop their own unique gospel sound, best described as a combination of mellow, soulful music.

“We try to be smooth — no real loud, hard stuff,” said Mr Morgan.

“We’ve changed some. It goes with the times. As times change, we’ve changed. We’ve dabbled in contemporary,” he continued, adding the contemporary feel “never seemed to really catch on” with the group.

Mr Morgan still remembers a time when the early members didn’t have much to do in the winters between seasonal jobs so they’d just start singing music for their own enjoyment as they walked along city streets. But most of their venues have been more traditional and the group has built a solid reputation as one of the most prominent gospel groups in Waterbury, a city that has plenty of them — enough to form Waterbury Gospel Union, which meets occasionally so member groups can share ideas and advice.

But those early days of young men singing their heartfelt music about God just for the pure joy of it aren’t likely to be repeated in Waterbury — or anywhere else, for that matter.

“So many of the young kids are getting into this rap thing,” Mr Morgan said. “And there’s the money. There’s not much money coming into this. You’ve really got to love it.”

And Morgan said the Soul Lifters do. “The guys that are with me, they’re into it,” he said.

Jessie Ellis has founded two gospel groups: The Marvaneers in the 1970s, which is still going strong, and Mighty Angels of Faith in 1981. The Angels quickly became popular and began touring semi-professionally.

Illness and then injury to Mr Ellis finally forced the group to take a long-term break from performing, but after more than six years on the shelf, Mr Ellis dusted off the group in 1999 and they immediately got back into the groove.

“Four months after we got together we were down at a church in Virginia,” he said. By the time New Year’s Eve rolled around the Angels were in a Washington, D.C., church with another group “and we sang all night,” recalled Mr Ellis. The group also appeared in Boston last year with The Soul Lifters.

“For the past month we’ve been singing every Saturday and Sunday. Wherever God sends us to sing, we sing,” he said.

The coffeehouse will start at 7:30 pm. It is located not far from Exit 6 westbound off Interstate 84, and about half a mile from Exit 5 eastbound. For more information, call 748-4972.