Big Maybelle - Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen [HD]

Big Maybelle sings the traditional spiritual 'Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen' from the 1968 Brunswick compilation album of various singers 'The Great Soul Hits of Jackie Wilson - Gene Chandler - Big Maybelle - Barbara Acklin - The Artistics - Young-Holt Unlimited'. The song was first on the 1968 Brunswick album 'The Gospel Soul of Big Maybelle' and also a single. The song lyrics are below with notes about the song and singer.

[Vinyl/13-Images/WAV]

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen (Singer: Big Maybelle)

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows my sorrow
(Glory hallelujah!)

Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down
Oh, yes
Sometimes I'm almost level to the ground
Oh, yes

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows my sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory hallelujah!

If you get there before I do
(Oh, yes, Lord)
Tell all my friends I'm comin' on too
Oh, yes

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows my sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory hallelujah!

Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Nobody knows my sorrow
Nobody knows the trouble I've seen
Glory, glory hallelujah!

Nobody knows, nobody knows

Songwriter: Traditional song (Arranged and adapted by Alan Lorber)
[Lyrics from azlyrics.com]

Wikipedia states:

"Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is an African-American spiritual song that originated during the period of slavery but was not published until 1867. The song is well known and many cover versions of it have been done by artists such as Marian Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Harry James, Paul Robeson, Sam Cooke among others. Anderson had her first successful recording with a version of this song on the Victor label in 1925. Horne recorded a version of the song in 1946. Deep River Boys recorded their version in Oslo on August 29, 1958. It was released on the extended play Negro Spirituals Vol. 1 (HMV 7EGN 27). The song was arranged by Harry Douglas. It is one of the five spirituals included in the oratorio A Child of Our Time, first performed in 1944, by the classical composer Michael Tippett (1905–98).

Mabel Louise Smith (May 1, 1924 – January 23, 1972), known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer. Her 1956 hit single "Candy" received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, United States, Big Maybelle sang gospel as a child and by her teens had switched to rhythm and blues. She began her professional career with Dave Clark's Memphis Band in 1936, and also toured with the all female International Sweethearts of Rhythm. She then joined Christine Chatman's Orchestra, and made her first recordings with Chatman in 1944, before recording with the Tiny Bradshaw's Orchestra from 1947 to 1950.

Her debut solo recordings, recorded as Mabel Smith, were for King Records in 1947, when she was backed by Oran "Hot Lips" Page, but she had little initial success. In 1952 she was signed by Okeh Records, whose record producer Fred Mendelsohn gave her the stage name 'Big Maybelle' because of her loud yet well-toned voice. Her first recording for Okeh, "Gabbin' Blues", was a number 3 hit on the Billboard R&B chart, and was followed up by both "Way Back Home" and "My Country Man" in 1953. In 1955 she recorded the song "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On", produced by up-and-coming producer Quincy Jones, a full two years before rockabilly then rock and roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis's version. Lewis credited Smith's version as being the inspiration to make his version much more louder, raunchy and raucous, with a driving beat and a spoken section with a come-on that was considered very risque for the time. More hits followed throughout the 1950s, particularly after signing with Savoy Records later in 1955, including "Candy" (1956), one of her biggest sellers.

Big Maybelle,