Brother Claude Ely

Born in Virginia on July 22, of 1922, Brother Claude Ely is cited by many as being one of the true examples of gospel music in its purest form as an influence on rock and roll. Though probably not a major influence on rock himself, Ely's music features the heavy rhythmic emphasis and impassioned gospel shouting that was indicative of the southern Pentecostal churches that have been seen as the birthplace of many rock forms. Ely himself was a near legendary Holiness preacher who crisscrossed the United States holding revivals and tent meetings, playing his own brand of explosiv...