The Brooklyn All Stars

Since 1950 the Brooklyn All-Stars have performed as a male gospel ensemble that enjoys international recognition. Across their extended careers the group has collected numerous awards and earned two gold albums. Thomas J. Spann founded the act, whose original roster also included Hardy Clifton and Sam Thomas. Peacock issued several of their 1959 recordings, among them “Rest Awhile” and “Meet Me in Galilee.” Early tours proved arduous; limited funds forced the members to travel in a single car, and they relied on parishioners for meals and lodging after being denied service at restaurants and motels. Conditions eased during the 1960s, when the All-Stars solidified their standing as a traditional gospel ensemble. Annual polls named them the leading U.S. gospel group every year from 1971 to 1978. Their strongest-selling recordings, “When I Stood on the Banks of Jordan” and “He Touched Me and Made Me Whole,” appeared on Jewel, the label they joined in 1971. A succession of world tours occupied the ensemble throughout the 1980s.