03 - The Fairfield Four

I am a child of the South. There are a lot of things about the South I was not brought up with because I was also a child of 'Yankees'. None the less, there are some things that you absolutely can not escape appreciating, especially in North Carolina.

Green. Sweet tea. Carolina beaches. Rocking chairs. Shuttered windows. BBQ (don't try to fight with me on how to prepare it). College Basketball (Let's go Duke) Porch sittin'. Sundays. Story tellin'. Bluegrass. Gospel.

There is so much history in the South. Jump on 58 and head down to the beach. Charleston. Savannah. The small towns. The farm land. The old men who have lived simple lives and still have the most harrowing of stories. If you don't live in the South, it's hard to describe how rich a space it is. I've been in it my whole life and have recently been reflecting on my place here. One thing is for sure, no matter where I end up, I know I will always have a place to come back to.

I am looking out onto a beautiful Sunday morning through giant white shutters, trees filled with green and purple buds, sun shining, listening to the soulful sound of a southern gospel group, The Fairfield Four. This group is the sound of the South. The history of southern gospel music is rooted in the revival movement and features messages on how God is the solution to everyday problems. This typically "quartet" style group with tenor-lead-baritone-bass members is easy to appreciate, Christian or not.

Artist: The Fairfield Four
From: Nashville, TN
Style: A capella Gospel group
How I found it: My pops
History: Started as a trio in Nashville' Fairfield Baptist Church in 1921 and have had a total of 16 members. They perform mostly as a quintet now and were featured briefly in O Brother Where art Thou.