Saturday, May 16, 2009

Sacred Heart Singers / Come Alive Singers

One of my most recent discoveries is this all-girl Catholic youth chorus/band from Ewen, directed by Dorothy Bessen (I count 17 members in a photograph). They began as the Sacred Heart Singers and made two albums, Come Alive and Come Alive at Christmas, plus a "mini-album," before becoming the Come Alive Singers and recording the albums Happy Feet and Somewhere In the Wind ... I Hear A Song, both of which I have (See "The Grooves I Have"). They were apparently not affiliated with the Sacred Heart Church in Ewen, though some group members attended that church; indeed, the group name was changed to the Come Alive Singers to avoid giving that impression.

Happy Feet - which came out long before the Steve Martin routine - has 16 songs, mostly written by group member Paulette Niemi. Its liner notes are worth quoting: "[T]hese selections ... combine the sound of modern music and the enthusiasm of youth with the richness of biblical writings, plus mature guidance, patience, and love. Other ingredients such as faith and hope enable this type of music to eliminate the generation gap ... [W]e feel that we have come up with a unique type of music which is sacred enough to use in church and spirited enough to be enjoyed by people of all ages." 'Nuff said.

11 comments:

Stu Shea said...

I have the first album ("Come Alive") and a four-song 45. I love them. I've been trying to get in touch with Paulette Niemi, but with no luck. Is "Happy Feet" from around 73-74?

U.P. Grooves! said...

I'd say more like 1972, because two pictures on the cover show one of the girls wearing an "Archie Bunker for President" sweatshirt. Yikes.

Stu Shea said...

ARCHIE BUNKER?!?! Holy mackerel!

jamielynn03 said...

I know this is a really old post...but Stu if you still would like to get it touch with Paulette, let me know..she's my mom. :)

U.P. Grooves! said...

Jamielynn, I'm not Stu, but I am the creator of this blog, and I'd like to get in touch with you and/or your mother. Contact me at either andrucharlz (at) webtv (dot) net or andrucharlz (at) localnet (dot) com.

U.P. Grooves! said...

Jamielynn, I'm not Stu, but I am the creator of this blog, and I'd like to get in touch with you and/or your mother. Contact me at either andrucharlz (at) webtv (dot) net or andrucharlz (at) localnet (dot) com.

Unknown said...

Hello. The Sacred Heart Singers were a huge part of childhood for my sisters and I. We had all the albums, knew every word, were penpals with four members, and even had a summer picnic with the group at Courtney Lake. We would love to get a copy of the music now. Is that possible?

jamielynn03 said...

Hi Donna,

Quite a few years ago I converted the albums on my home computer. They qaulity isn't that great, but I could share them with you. :)

jamielynn03 said...

...wow can't type. *The quality*

Unknown said...

Yes! That would be wonderful! My sisters will also be thrilled. My email is c16sj@comcast.net. Thank you so much!

Guido said...

Hi jamielynn! Is there a possibility i might as well get the music of the Sacred Heart Singers? I've only recently discovered them but fell in love instantly with their sound and can't find the records anywhere!
I would appreciate it so much!
Cheers from Argentina,
Guido