The Great Rance Allen! Please Give Him His Respect And Recognition.

http://twitter.com/ejayrandolph

Rance Allen set the music world on fire between 1971 and 1974 with his electrifying recordings for the Stax-owned Gospel Truth and Truth labels. Hits like "Just My Salvation," "There's Gonna Be a Showdown," and "Ain't No Need of Crying" broke down stylistic barriers between gospel, rock, and soul musical styles as they never had before. Rance began playing piano when he was seven and picked up the guitar two years later. He credits gospel giant James Cleveland as his main influence, but also names Ray Charles and Chuck Berry. (When Rance works out with the guitar he employs many of Berry's showstopping rock and roll theatrics.) "For a while there I was taking everything I heard and converting it so I could play it in church," Rance explains. No one objected to his eclectic approach at his home church where his pastor-grandfather encouraged his experimentation. "He gave me total freedom to do what I was doing. "When I used to go to different churches or somewhere strange, people were not used to what I was doing. I used to get some flack or bad things said about me, but every time something bad was said, someone would come along and say something good, and I just happened to remember all the good things and not the bad." The Rance Allen Group, with older brother Tom on drums and younger brother Steve on bass, made its first record in 1969. It was a self-penned song called "Let's Get Together and Love," released on the Reflect label which was operated by a Monroe music shop owner. "When the record came out," Rance recalls, "we took copies to Toledo. . . It was one of those deals where you didn't have no distribution, just put your records in your guitar case and try to sell them when you go somewhere to sing." In 1971 the brothers won a Detroit gospel talent contest. The prize was $500. "That let us know that we oughta be singing," he quips. "There was a judge in the audience. Everybody had been whispering that it was Berry Gordy's father, but in actuality it was Dave Clark." Veteran record promotion man Clark, who was 71 years old at the time, was so impressed that he, along with Toby Jackson (Rance's current manager), booked a studio and, in less than four hours, cut an album. "Stax bought the master," Rance remembers. "They even paid us a little money. For me, Wow, you get paid for making records?' I began to feel somewhat like a star then. "The first show Stax booked us on was not a gospel show. I had reservations about it. I prayed about it and I found that my answer was, Yeah, you should play anything you get; Isaac Hayes or whoever, you should play it.' The first thing they put us on was as a great big coliseum thing with Isaac Hayes. It was the first time we had played before an audience that big-something like 12 thousand people. We lit up ourselves and lit up the audience too. It was a new experience for us. It overwhelmed me to have Isaac Hayes tell you that you're great." Rance has been overwhelming audiences across the country ever since with his exuberant stage demeanor and shattering vocals that slide up and down the scale into what San Francisco Chronicle critic Joel Selvin described as "upwards corners other singers have only heard about." Rance punctuates his delivery with deep growls and tour de force rhythmic scats.

Albums:

Rance Allen Group (Gospel Truth 1970)

Truth Is Where It's At (Gospel Truth 1972)

Straight From The Heart (Stax 1972)

A Soulful Experience (Truth 1975)

Say My Friend (Capitol Records 1977)

Straight From The Heart (Stax 1978)

Rance Allen Group (Stax 1978)

Smile (Stax 1979)

The Way It Is (Capitol 1979)

I Feel Like Going On (Stax 1980)

Hear My Voice (Myrrh 1983)

I Give Myself To You (Myrrh 1984)

He Is The Light (Myrrh / Word)

Ain't No Need Of Crying (Stax 1985)

Hear My Voice (A & M 1990)

Phenomenon (Bellmark 1991)

Up Above My Head (Stax 1995)

You Make Me Wanna Dance (Bellmark 1995)

Miracle Worker (Bellmark 2000)

All The Way (Bellmark 2002)

Category:

Music

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[keithnewton2]

I never get tired of Rance Allen and never will. Get it doc!!

[bryantchristopherrod]

YOU BETTA PREACH DOC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ashabobo]

it's called expressing the joy of the Lord w/out reserves, ppl love to critisize when people just let the anointing move them. PREACH RANCE!!! Kill demons!!!

[mburrellii]

1 million thumbs up!

[zingalom]

Is that Vanessa Bell Armstrong in the black behind him? lol

[vze8mdbd]

Hey@Heupholdethme that Chris Byrd the honary group member he's real close to Rance and helped produce his last two albums.

[2bowling]

LOL Get it Rance is that Vanessa Bell-Armstrong in the back

[Boogers4dinner]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!! 

[11xr1east]

Hey @jonnycitrus if you are anti religious foolishness that's good call em out

[stacynewyork]

fat ass

[jonnycitrus]

yeah i know. but its still hilarious.

[ThatsABiggon]

@jonnycitrus, I'm as anti religious foolishness as the next guy, but religion is not what this vid is about.