R.H. Harris

Passionate gospel singer R.h. Harris is best known as the lead vocalist of the pre-Sam Cooke Soul Stirrers, one of the most influential vocal groups in gospel history. While a member of the Soul Stirrers from the late '30s through 1950, Harris pushed his voice to new limits of powerful, throaty intensity. His delivery was filled with an urgency that couldn't help but affect anyone within earshot; quite a switch from the seamless, smoother deliveries popular with gospel vocal groups up to this point. By the time Harris left the group, "hard gospel" had taken hold.



Robert H. Harris joined up with Soul Stirrers in the late '30s in the Houston, TX area. Group founder Roy Crain brought in a few other singers into the fold, including James Medlock, who served as second lead vocalist. A group with two lead vocalists was a new thing at the time, but it was the voices of The Soul Stirrers that carried them to greater renown. The group moved to Chicago in the late '30s but spent a lot of time on the road, performing the gospel circuit.

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