"His Eye Is On The Sparrow" genre: Folk
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	MP3.com CD: Little Is Much - buy it! CD: Little is Much   Label: MSA Records Credits: Words by Civilla D. Martin Music by Charles H. Gabriel
	Story Behind the Song I have no specific memory of the first time I heard this song. My general memory is of hearing the song performed in church by either a soloist or a choir not as a congregational song. Since childhood, I have found myself singing or humming this song to myself more than any other hymn that I grew up with. Mrs. Civilla Martin wrote the text to this song in 1904: "I wrote the song 'His Eye Is On The Sparrow' in the company of a bedridden saint in the city of Elmira, New York. I was reading and singing to her and during our conversation, I chanced to ask her if she did not sometimes get discouraged. This is when she responded about God's care for the sparrow. Her answer prompted me to find paper and pencil, and in a very short time, I had completed the poem." Some forty years later, this song was catapulted to popularity when Billy Graham heard Ethel Waters sing it. Dr. Graham was so moved that he asked her to join his crusade. "The Sparrow Song" became the signature song of Ethel Waters, and in 1971, when invited to the Nixon White House, the only request the president had of the 71-year-old vocalist was, "Please sing His Eye Is On The Sparrow." This recording starts out very sparse (bass and vocal only) and then builds through the arrangement ending with the last chorus up-tempo and the Jordanaires adding their signature brand of background singing echoing those familiar phrases. Louis Nunley suggested the line "I'm so happy" when the Jordanaires were rehearsing their part. That line really adds a light and uplifting texture to the last chorus. It's become my favorite line of the song. Keith Mack - tenor guitar Billy West - acoustic guitar Larry Lynch - upright bass The Jordanaires - background vocals

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