“Ev’rybody Dat Talks ‘Bout Heaven Ain’t Goin’ There” – Lt. Jim Europe’s Singing Serenaders (1919)

Lt. James Reece Europe’s 369th U.S. Infantry “Hell Fighters” Band is well known in jazz circles. Lesser known are the small handful of vocal quartet recordings made during his prolific recording sessions for Pathé in March of 1919.

Here we have an acapella vocal quartet singing a variation of a traditional African-American gospel song “All God’s Chillun Got Shoes” – with the addition of a wonderful line that was made the title of the song: Ev’rybody Dat Talks ‘Bout Heaven Ain’t Goin’ There. I find this apt social commentary to be quite interesting.

Recorded in New York City in March 1919.
Released as Pathé 22105.

Credits:
Unknown artists (perhaps Creighton Thompson and Noble Sissle?)