The Gospel Ranger

Radio Diaries

Radio Diaries & Radiotopia

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2023

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This is the story of a song, “Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down.” It was written by a 12-year-old boy on what was supposed to be his deathbed. But the boy didn’t die. Instead, he went on to become a Pentecostal preacher, and later helped inspire the birth of Rock & Roll.

The boy’s name was Brother Claude Ely, and he was known as The Gospel Ranger.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Radiotopia.
0:03.9	From PRX.
0:06.0	From PRX's Radiotopia, this is Radio Diaries.
0:09.5	I'm Joe Richmond.
0:13.2	There ain't no grave can hold my body down.
0:18.7	There ain't no grave going to hold my body down.
0:21.9	This is one of the last songs that Johnny Cash recorded before he died.
0:29.0	One of the things to know about this song is that it's had many, many different lives.
0:34.9	Can't no grave hold my body down. Ain't no grave. Hold my body down.
0:39.0	There ain't no grave.
0:40.1	Won't keep my soul down.
0:42.1	There ain't no grave.
0:44.5	Gonna hold my body down.
0:47.0	Well, there ain't no grave.
0:50.6	Going to hold this body down.
0:53.3	The other thing to know about this song is that it's had a strange and surprising history.
0:59.1	The song was actually written by a 12-year-old boy, a boy who was on his deathbed,
1:05.0	a boy who, instead of dying, went on to become a Pentecostal preacher,
1:09.2	a boy who would later help inspire the birth
1:11.5	of rock and roll.
1:13.4	His name was brother Claude Ely.
1:15.9	Outside of the Appalachian Mountains, hardly anyone knew his name at all.
	...

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