DUCK HILL – The unveiling of the historical marker honoring gospel composer Lucie E. Campbell, a native of Duck Hill, will be held Friday, February 9, 2018, at noon in front of the town’s iconic caboose.
Campbell was born in Duck Hill in 1885 to former slaves. According to the Memphis Hall of Fame website, Campbell was “one of the most regarded composers of African American religious song, Lucie E. Campbell was a pioneering figure linking traditional hymnody to modern gospel composition and bridging gender and racial divides in the in the world of gospel music. Alongside such musical peers as Thomas A. Dorsey, Roberta Martin, and fellow Memphian Reverend W. Herbert Brewster, she helped forge the black gospel sound of the first half of the 20th century and further belongs to a small coterie of composers who have set lasting standards for religious music in the black Baptist church.”
The site also stated that Campbell’s most famous compositions, “Touch Me, Lord Jesus,” “Jesus Gave Me Water,” “In the Upper Room,” and her best known son, “He’ll Understand and Say Well Done.”
According to Al White, who spearheaded the effort to get the marker erected in Campbell’s honor, said several gospel historians from Memphis and Jackson will be speaking at the event.
White also said Senator Lydia Chassaniol will present the town with a proclamation in honor of the occasion.
