Radiotopia

From PRX

From PRX's Radiotopia, this is Radio Diaries.

I'm Joe Richman.

There ain't no grave can hold my body down.

There ain't no grave gonna hold my body down.

This is one of the last songs

that Johnny Cash recorded before he died.

One of the things to know about this song

is that it's had many, many different lives.

Can't no grave hold my body down.

There ain't no grave, going to hold my body down.

The other thing to know about this song is that it's had a strange and surprising history.

The song was actually written by a 12-year-old boy, a boy who was on his deathbed,

a boy who, instead of dying, went on to become a Pentecostal preacher,

a boy who would later help inspire the birth of rock and

roll. His name was brother Claude Ely. Outside of the Appalachian Mountains, hardly anyone knew his

name at all. Even his extended family didn't know much about him. This is a story about the story

behind that song. Ain't no grave gonna hold my body down.

But it's also the story of one man's search to find out more about his great uncle,

a man they called the Gospel Ranger.

My name is Maisel Ely. I'm the great nephew of Brother Claude Ely.

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