
The Yancey
Family Singers - of Oxford, North Carolina
Please visit the official page of the Yancey Family


Dedicated to the Memory of Melcina Yancey (1927-2017)
click here to see her obituary and family photos
By Libra Boyd: The
Yancey family is to the North Carolina city of Oxford what the Winans
are to Detroit. Full of singing, writing, and musical talent, the
11-sibling family has shared their brand of traditional gospel
throughout the region for decades; it's a legacy passed on to them by
their parents, Melcina and the late Willie G. Yancey. Their
longtime supporters probably own the first vinyl records released under
the name The Yancey Family Singers. For younger ones like me—who
own the more recent CDs and mp3s by those who've become solo artists in
their own right—it's a real treat to be able to step back in time via History: Complete Early Recordings, a
30-track double-disc compilation of the family's early LPs and
45s. The Yanceys are grateful to collector John Glassburner who
supplied them with several of the hard-to-find original recordings that
they were not able to easily access.
The CD set features music from two of their 1970's albums, God Brought Us From A Mighty Long Way and Mind Your Own Business as well as several singles.
The set also includes two early 70's tracks from The Yancey Glorietts,
younger siblings of The Yancey Family Singers. The presentation
of the early performances is as initially recorded, and there doesn't
appear to have been any remixing or remastering (which may explain the
volume adjustments you'll need to make and the clipping you'll hear on
just a few of the tracks). Among the standouts is "God Brought Us
From A Mighty Long Way," a retrospective musical narrative through
which Willie N. Yancey recalls the family's humble beginnings—when
there were only four siblings and their father worked for a meager wage
(60¢/hour),
while Mother Yancey handmade their clothes to help make ends meet. Yet,
"we were thankful...He brought us from a mighty long way."
The
compilation boasts its share of homespun quartet selections, including
the punchy "Jesus Never Let Me Down" and sauntering "He Loves Me"—both
of which hint at stylings of the Williams Brothers and Jackson
Southernaires. One might even think the Keynotes' Paul Beasley
showed up for a vocal workout, but it's actually the keen falsetto of
Willard Yancey on "Jesus Don't Leave Me." Another tune, "Poor Man
Cry," ambles into country music territory and still another, "Pray for
the Nation," wallows in bluegrass as it tugs on our social
consciousness.
The
folksy "God's and Satan's War" puts sister Susie out front, while "I
Had A Dream" and "You And God" are respectively plaintive and
cautionary, capturing the piping vocals of a preteen Larry Yancey on
the former and a barely teen Gloretta McNeil née Yancey on the
latter. Along with a pair of "mother" songs, the remaining
numbers are quintessential Yancey gems that bespeak Dorothy Norwood's
endorsement of the singing family as the "best kept secret of Granville
County." Of course, in the minds of all the Yanceys' longtime
friends, fans, and followers far and near, the secret has long been out.

Larry, Gloretta, Willie, Melcina, Detroit
Yancey Family Videos

Family Matriarch - Melcina Yancey

Willie N Yancey

Gloretta Yancey

Willard Yancey (left)

Larron Yancey
Video

Jeshua Yancey
Videos

Danny L. Yancey
Video

Sehikinah Yancey
Video

Corey J Yancey
Video

