I Got Two Wings - Elder Utah Smith and COGIC Friends

In the late ‘30s, singing evangelist Utah Smith came tearing out of Shreveport, La., with a pair of homemade wings fastened to his back and an electric guitar in his hands. He played and sang with a truly startling ferocity informed by the tenets of the Church of God in Christ. Smith’s signature number, “Two Wings,” is a truly remarkable piece of music, featuring an unstoppable freight-train rhythm and truly unhinged distorted guitar work. Smith first recorded “Two Wings” for the tiny Regis label in 1944 and would return to it again and again throughout his career. I Got Two Wings, which collects all of Smith’s extant recordings, contains no less than six versions of this incredible song, all of them essential listening. Indeed, I Got Two Wings so brims with energy, conviction, and power that one could easily listen to it for hours without tiring. The remainder of album includes a few equally incendiary tunes from Smith, as well as a smattering of recordings by artists like Arizona Dranes, Rosetta Tharpe, and others whose work was equally informed by the fervor of Pentecostalism.