The very touching song "Sweetest Gift, a Mother’s Smile" was written by James B. Coats, a staff
writer for the Stamps-Baxter Music Company; he is a member of the Gospel Music
Association’s Hall of Fame. Born in 1901 in Summerland, Mississippi, he composed other
beloved songs: “Where Could I Go?”, “A Wonderful Place”, and others. The first recording was
by James and Martha Carson in 1946.
“Sweetest Gift" has been covered by Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris Duet, the Judds, Hazel
Dickens and Alice Gerrard, the Gibson Brothers, and the Blue Sky Boys.
My partner, Carol Hausner, now in Vermont, was a Takoma Park, Md. musician I met at the old
"Sligo Creek Sunday Jam", early 1980s. Carol won 1st place at the 2009 MerleFest
Songwriting Contest. Please acquaint yourself with Carol's work: http://www.carolhausner.com/
Honeysuckle Musicians:
Carol Hausner Rhythm Guitar and Vocals
Ed Schaeffer Lead Guitar and Vocals; later, also recorded bass
To listen, click: http://rattlesnakehill.org/Web_Music/edsmusic.html
Ed
Sweetest Gift, a Mother’s Smile
One day a mother came to a prison
To see her erring but precious son
She told the warden how much she loved him
It did not matter what he had done
Chorus:
She did not bring (bring to him) parole or pardon (pardon free)
She brought no silver (brought no gold) no pomp or style (none to see)
It was a halo (halo bright) sent down from heaven's (heaven's light)
The sweetest gift, a mother's smile
She left a smile you can remember
She's gone to heaven from heartache's grief (free)
Those bars around you could never change her
You were her baby and e'er will be
0 comments:
Post a Comment