Calvin Earl (January 16, 1952) is an American singer, musician,
storyteller and documentary film maker specializing in the history of
African American Spirituals. His passion for the preservation of the
spirituals led him to lobby for the introduction of twin resolutions
(H. Res. 120 and S. Res 69) in the United States Congress in 2007, to
honor American slaves for their contribution to the American nation
and recognize the African American Spiritual as a National Treasure.
He is referred to in the legislation as a “noted performer &
educator of the African American Spirituals". Because of his
successful efforts in the passage of the legislation, Earl became
affectionately known as the "Ambassador of the African American
Spirituals". He has recorded two albums of spirituals (for Back to
Basics Records), including Gratitude which is sold at American
historical sites including Monticello, Mount Vernon, Jamestown, and
the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia.Calvin Earl
was born in a sharecropper cabin on the Glen Lillie Farm in
Gatesville, NC. Earl began playing guitar at the age of 7 at his
hometown church. A naturally talented musician, he soon began to
travel to different churches and school venues in several surrounding
counties in North Carolina and Virginia. Considered a musical
prodigy[by whom?] at the age of 9, his frequent performances on local
Christian radio stations in Virginia and in his home state of North
Carolina brought him to the attention of gospel musician Mahalia
Jackson. He performed with her and many other gospel singers including
The Blind Boys of Alabama, Shirley Caesar, James Cleveland, The Mighty
Clouds of Joy, and the Dixie Hummingbirds throughout his childhood and
teen years. James Brown wanted to take him on the road as a guitarist
for his band, but Earl's parents turned down the offer along with all
the other offers for their youngest son.In 1972â€"1974 while serving
stateside in the military (US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Ord,
California) during the Vietnam War, Earl formed a R & B band in 1973
named the "Elements of Peace". The band performed at Military
Officer's clubs, nightclubs in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay
areas, and at special events. At the end of his military service they
disbanded and Earl attended community college on the GI Bill in
Monterey, California. In late 1991, he formed another band, "Calvin
Earl and His Big Band Sound". In 1991 at the annual Long Beach Blues
Festival he was invited to perform with The Blind Boys of Alabama. In
the Spring of 1992, he presented his first solo performance at the
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Ojai, California.
storyteller and documentary film maker specializing in the history of
African American Spirituals. His passion for the preservation of the
spirituals led him to lobby for the introduction of twin resolutions
(H. Res. 120 and S. Res 69) in the United States Congress in 2007, to
honor American slaves for their contribution to the American nation
and recognize the African American Spiritual as a National Treasure.
He is referred to in the legislation as a “noted performer &
educator of the African American Spirituals". Because of his
successful efforts in the passage of the legislation, Earl became
affectionately known as the "Ambassador of the African American
Spirituals". He has recorded two albums of spirituals (for Back to
Basics Records), including Gratitude which is sold at American
historical sites including Monticello, Mount Vernon, Jamestown, and
the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains, Georgia.Calvin Earl
was born in a sharecropper cabin on the Glen Lillie Farm in
Gatesville, NC. Earl began playing guitar at the age of 7 at his
hometown church. A naturally talented musician, he soon began to
travel to different churches and school venues in several surrounding
counties in North Carolina and Virginia. Considered a musical
prodigy[by whom?] at the age of 9, his frequent performances on local
Christian radio stations in Virginia and in his home state of North
Carolina brought him to the attention of gospel musician Mahalia
Jackson. He performed with her and many other gospel singers including
The Blind Boys of Alabama, Shirley Caesar, James Cleveland, The Mighty
Clouds of Joy, and the Dixie Hummingbirds throughout his childhood and
teen years. James Brown wanted to take him on the road as a guitarist
for his band, but Earl's parents turned down the offer along with all
the other offers for their youngest son.In 1972â€"1974 while serving
stateside in the military (US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Ord,
California) during the Vietnam War, Earl formed a R & B band in 1973
named the "Elements of Peace". The band performed at Military
Officer's clubs, nightclubs in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay
areas, and at special events. At the end of his military service they
disbanded and Earl attended community college on the GI Bill in
Monterey, California. In late 1991, he formed another band, "Calvin
Earl and His Big Band Sound". In 1991 at the annual Long Beach Blues
Festival he was invited to perform with The Blind Boys of Alabama. In
the Spring of 1992, he presented his first solo performance at the
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Ojai, California.
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