Johnny J. Blair & The Temple UMC Choir "Jesus Gave Me Water" (live 2014)

Happy souls sang in earnest when I joined the San Francisco Temple United Methodist Church Choir to do this song, made famous by Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers. Written by Lucie E. Campbell, this gospel tune is based on the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman found in the Gospel of John. When the woman goes to a well to fetch water, she finds Jesus resting there. Because Jews don't associate with Samaritans, she is surprised when he asks her for water. After revealing himself as the Son of God, Jesus says he's come to offer people living water that "will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Biblical scholars explain that the living water symbolizes the Holy Spirit that dwells in believers.
The Soul Stirrers recorded "Jesus Gave Me Water” in 1950. It was their first recording with their new lead singer, a 19-year-old Sam Cooke, singing praise to Jesus for giving them the living water to quench their spiritual thirst. Cooke's mellifluous vocals stood out from the gospel shouters of the time and made The Soul Stirrers a hot commodity on the gospel circuit, especially among teenage girls who flocked to catch a glimpse of the handsome singer. He sang in a different way, going for a personable style in contrast to the then-fashionable male gospel style of what RH Harris called “that deep, pitiful singer, like ‘My mother died when I was young’...like Blind Boys, Pilgrim Travelers stuff.”
Surprisingly, it was Cooke’s pastor father who gave him the push he needed to pursue a path in secular music. Cooke explained, "My father told me it was not what I sang that was important, but that God gave me a voice and musical talent and the true use of His gift was to share it and make people happy."
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Song written by Lucie Campbell © 1950 (renewed 1978) published by Screen Gems BMI
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