Listen: If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again

When Elder Anderson Johnson shouts “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again/How happy I would be” there is no doubt the raw truth of those words. I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard anybody play like him. He leads with the open chords barred with a slide, performs a simple melody and then his voice explodes with the longing for his mother’s supernatural protection and earthly guidance. This is an amazing recording from a session Tim recorded at Elder Anderson’s home in Newport News, Virginia in 1994.

— Aaron