This week in Christian history: Tyndale executed, ‘Just a Closer Walk With Thee’ recorded

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, October 06, 2024

'Just a Closer Walk With Thee' first recorded – Oct. 8, 1941

The Selah Jubilee Singers, a popular African American musical group credited with singing the first recording of the hymn 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee' in 1941. — The Selah Jubilee Singers, a popular African American musical group credited with singing the first recording of the hymn "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" in 1941. | Screengrab: YouTube/Selah Jubilee Singers - Topic

This week marks the anniversary of when the old hymn “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” was first recorded, being sung by the Selah Jubilee Singers, an African American men’s quartet.

The Selah Jubilee Singers recorded the hymn in New York City for Decca Records, with Thermon Ruth serving as the lead vocalist and a guitar accompaniment.

“The group presented the refrain ‘Just a closer walk with thee,’ plus ‘When my feeble eyes are closed/ Time for me won’t be no more,’ ‘I am weak but thou art strong,’ and a return of the refrain,” noted Hymnology Archive.

“At the time, the group also performed regularly on Raleigh, North Carolina, radio station WPTF, a fifty-thousand-watt operation, so the song likely filled the airwaves more than it sold on platters.”