Reviewed by Tony Cummings

A fascinating forage through the archives to bring to light 14 recordings made by the Stars Of Bethlehem/Stars Of Bethel, a group that never made it out of the back roads of the ‘50s and ‘60s Gospel Highway but were influential figures in the Los Angeles gospel scene and brought to prominence Richard Wallace, later to find real gospel fame with the Mighty Clouds Of Joy. By 1960 when most of these tracks were recorded the Stars Of Bethlehem could do a pretty fair imitation of the Soul Stirrers (they even recorded an uncredited session with Sam Cooke). Not everything is top rate here, something is seriously out of tune on “I Know Somebody” while, more disappointingly, the 1954 rarity “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood” featuring Little Johnny Taylor (later to find R&B fame with “Part Time Love” and not to be confused with the Soul Stirrers’ Johnnie Taylor) was a seriously muffled sound having been dubbed from a battered 78. But with rare photos and a fact-filled sleevenote from Gospel Treasures’ Opal Louis Nations, this is fascinating history and occasionally great music.

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