The Ritchie and Shepherd Gospel Singers

As with many notable gospel recordings from the so-called “hillbilly,” rural country-gospel field, whose origins lie in Appalachia, the early work of the Ritchie and Shepherd Gospel Singers was first introduced on the internet by the YouTube channel Fixed Elsewhere, which uploaded tracks from their debut album, A Man of Sorrow.

The Ritchie and Shepherd Gospel Singers grew out of Ed Ritchie’s ministry, begun in 1966, with Ed as lead singer and guitarist. Rooted in Knott County, Kentucky, and based in northern Indiana, the group featured Ed’s wife, Dorothy (soprano); his brother-in-law Roy Shepherd, an ordained minister; and Roy’s wife, Lillie Mae (tenor). They spent years traveling the eastern United States, singing and preaching in a nonprofit ministry noted for altar conversions and church revivals. Over time, the lineup expanded to include younger family members—their daughter, Melissa, and her husband, Clyde Graves. Today, Ed Ritchie pastors Elkhart County Community Baptist Church in Elkhart, Indiana, while the family’s gospel legacy continues through relatives.

What sets this group apart is its straightforward delivery. As they state on their album, they make music for one cause—to spread the gospel—and they do so in the way they know best: the music of their upbringing in the hills of Kentucky. While I may be inclined to mythologize this genre as a foreign music lover, I try to avoid injecting my own assumptions. However, I can say:

This group has a vibe that every psych, garage rock, and loner folk fan can appreciate, regardless of their faith. The minimalistic hill hymns of their debut album, A Man of Sorrow, are striking. The jam-session-like quality of “One More Mountain to Climb,” with its driving tambourine that sounds as if it were recorded at an impromptu church service, is captivating. An then, Most Requested Songs, circles back to their trance-inducing, repetitive banjo-guitar combo established in their earlier recordings. All in all an outstanding discography.

1969 – A Man of Sorrow

Great rendition of Preaching by the Roadside!

1970(?) – It’s Better on the Other Side

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“Final boss gospel group” indeed.

1971 – One More Mountain to Climb

We sing these songs on this album the way we feel about “salvation” lifted up in the Spirit of God. We hope they will be a spiritual uplift to you who hear them.

The opener “One More Mountain to Climb” gets straight to the point and side A contains with “God Not Dead,” another absolute banger, if I might say so. I think this is their best album. Full transfer courtesy of Fixed Elsewhere.

Verse 1
I’ve had a lot troubles and trials in my little life span,
stand alone when the battle gets hard always do the best I can,
Crossed a million valleys shed a million tears,
but when I come to the river Jordan hallelujah,
then I’ll have no fears, then I’ll have no fears.

Chorus:
One more river to cross, one more mountain to climb,
one more valley that I got to go through leaving my troubles behind,
one more battle with the devil and I know he’ll understand,
I’m going through with Jesus hallelujah,
holding to his nail scarred hand, holding to his nail scarred hand.

Verse 2
I’ve had a lot of people talk about me since I’ve walked this narrow way,
it’s just another little valley, I’ll get through it when I pray,
I’ve climbed a lot of high mountains, crossed a lot of little streams,
but when I see old Jordan cold and wide it’ll be the last for me.

Two tracks of “One More Mountain to Climb” might have been inspired by the Taylor Brothers’ album “It’s a good, good way” by singing one of their songs (“It’s a good, good way”) and mashing in “When the roll is called up yonder” which is on the same album.

1972 – Our Most Requested Songs

Audio transfer courtesy of Dollar Country

All four vinyl records were released on the Cabut label and later (not sure when, maybe early 1990s?) reissued by Smitty’s Tapes, London, Kentucky, along with other releases by Ed Ritchie—for example, collaborations with his daughter, Melissa.

As is often the case with this music and its protagonists, little is known about the operation of the Cabut Recording Co. aside from the Discogs listing. It was founded in the 1960s by Jim Horn, who recorded bluegrass gospel for REM Records with Lowell Varney while publishing other gospel artists on his own label, Cabut.

Ed Ritchie has a profile page on ReverbNation, where he has uploaded some of his later work.

This post is an attempt to connect the dots and would not be possible without the collectors, archivists, and music enthusiasts who have shared their findings. Thanks to Fixed Elsewhere/Night Tide Records, Paul Smith/Hinton Press, and Frank the Drifter of Dollar Country for sharing their knowledge.