Arizona Dranes was a blind African and Mexican American gospel music artist who is said to have been born sometime between 1889 or 1894 in Greensvile, Texas. Dranes attended the Institute for Deaf, Dumb and Blind Colored Youths located in Austin Texas which it is said that she received her first few voice and piano lessons. Music was considered to be a good way to earn money as a blind person aside from “broom making and basket weaving” (Corcoran).
Dranes’ Special Sound
Dranes made music in the late 1920s, where she began to evolve gospel music that was strictly religious to incorporating the rhythm and grooves of secular genres of music, such as ragtime and boogie music with her Christian beliefs. This music seem to served the purpose of making religious folks feel uplifted about their faith while still integrating fun into it. It speaks to the African American population in Texas churches and gives a feel of what they were consuming at the time. For black people in Texas, it was their religious beliefs and spirit that made it “Texas-y”. Gospel music was a sort of bridge between them and their African ancestors but instead of continuing with the melancholy feel of traditional gospel – Dranes changed it up for more of an uplifting and less dreary undertone.
Michael Corcoran, an American composer and producer who likes to “dig up” the backstories of many deceased and sometimes forgotten Texan pioneers, wrote about Dranes and referred to her as a “barrelhouse thumper”. The term barrelhouse was used to describe an improvised, loud and sort of “free” kind of blues or jazz music. Barrelhouse is a reference to how Dranes would become “lost in the spirit” as the spirit of God or possibly the Holy Spirit overtook her body and soul which translated into very passionate lyrics and movements like foot stomping. Her sound also included ragtimes and boogie woogie syncopation to express passion. These were all elements that had never been integrated into African American Christian music as its traditional form was sung by enslaved Africans trying to raise their hopes while seeking comfort by calling out to the Lord. As such, it was not popular in traditional Black churches and was rejected by religious leaders due to its similarity to ” widely frowned-upon secular music styles of the era such as ragtime, blues, and jazz” (Library of Congress).
Unfortunately, because Dranes was not well known, the popular “Father of Gospel”, Thomas Dorsey was likened with changing the style of gospel from traditional to modern and integrating ragtime and boogie woogie into gospel. However, it is clear that Arizona Dranes was the first to do this.
Ragtime is said to have been invented by Scott Joplin, a black pianist and composer from Texas. Ragtime came from Black pianists and artists in the Midwest and included elements from spirituals (religious songs sung by slaves seeking freedom) and marching band music.
Okeh Records
Okeh Records was one of many record labels known for “race records” which was music by Black artists and for black audiences during the 1920s to 1940s. Okeh Records was first introduced to Dranes after a scout spotted her in Dallas after which he took her back to Chicago in 1926 to record music. While with Okeh Records, Dranes recorded many songs including hits like the one mentioned above, “My Soul is a Witness for the Lord” that included barrelhouse, ragtime and boogie woogie (Shreve).
Pentecostalism in Black Texas
It is known that Arizona Dranes was a very religious person who was deeply involved in the church. Dranes was converted to Pentecostalism by preacher, Austin Love in 1922 and is closely associated with the Church of God in Christ. This is because she was the denomination’s first musical star – after signing with Okeh Records she often traveled with the Church of God in Christ singing in her unique style but never penned herself as a musician, only an “evangelist” or missionary. Since the 1920s, the COGIC has become the largest Black Pentecostal church in the nation.
Lost to Time
However, not much is known about her upbringing and biographical details are not certain. This may be a product of the time period as she was said to have been born in the late 19th century – not many people may have kept record of her. Also, it seems as though she was overlooked in a sense, possibly because she was a Black female artist during a time when Black voices were not respected and amplified. Another possible reason for lack of information about her was that she mostly sang in churches although she was signed to Okeh Records. Due to this, her name and voice was not widely known as she performed mostly in church services and didn’t seem to claim the title of musician but instead referred to herself as a “missionary”.
Around the time she began to sing – the Great Depression hit the United States and not many people were in the mood to listen to her lively spirited music at the time. The onset of this dark time in American history made Dranes dive deeper into the church which inhibited her recognition for integrating secular styles into traditional gospel music.
Sources
Access Denied. 19 Aug. 2012, www.npr.org/2012/08/19/159139895/arizona-dranes-forgotten-mother-of-the-gospel-beat.
“African American Gospel”. The Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/ritual-and-worship/african-american-gospel.
Corcoran, M. 20 Feb. 2023, folkarchivist.blogspot.com/2010/09/arizona-dranes-1926-28-recordings.html.
Corcoran, M. “He Is My Story: The Sanctified Soul of Arizona Dranes (Excerpt).” MichaelCorcoran.net, 19 Apr. 2021, www.michaelcorcoran.net/he-is-my-story-the-sanctified-soul-of-arizona-dranes-excerpt.
Corcoran, M. “‘A School and Not an Asylum.’” Michael Corcoran Overserved, 6 Feb. 2022, michaelcorcoran.substack.com/p/a-school-and-not-an-asylum.
Music, Tam-Tam. “Scott Joplin – Ragtime (Full Album).” YouTube, 22 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDkd9bVhmek&feature=youtu.be.
Streve, Bradley. “Dranes, Arizona Juanita [Blind Arizona]”. Texas State Historical Association, 22 Nov. 2006, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/dranes-arizona-juanita-blind-arizona.
TheBWJohnson. “Arizona Dranes – My Soul Is a Witness for the Lord.” YouTube, 11 Aug. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tPzcVlpvJU&feature=youtu.be.
