Where no one stands alone

Like many other performers, Merle Haggard knew loneliness. In fact, he made the decision to dedicate his life to music as Prisoner 845200 in San Quentin prison, during a stay in solitary confinement with only pajama bottoms, a blanket, a stone floor, and a Bible. This is a surpassingly soulful rendition of a gospel classic that Haggard included in a religious album he recorded in memory of his mother in 1981.

Once I stood in the night with my head bowed low In darkness as black as the sea In my heart felt alone and I cried oh Lord Don't hide your face from me. Hold my hand all the way every hour every day From here to the great unknown Take my hand let me stand Where no one stands alone.

Howard Carroll

Yesterday we lost Howard Carroll, the phenomenal singer and guitarist in the legendary gospel group the Dixie Hummingbirds. He was 94. Carroll joined the Birds in 1952 and quickly set the standard for the electric guitar in a gospel setting. Carroll grew up on the blues, country and bluegrass, and the jazz stylings of Charlie Christian. The only instrumentalist in the Birds, Carroll's unique genius was his always-perfect use of the guitar to complement the group's gorgeous voices. A truly masterful musician.

"If You See My Savior" By The Dixie Hummingbirds dvd How Sweet It Was, The Sights and Sounds of Gospel's Golden Age