Wallace Willis facts for kids
Wallace Willis was a talented musician who lived in a place called the Indian Territory. This area is now part of Oklahoma, near the city of Hugo, Oklahoma. Wallace was a Choctaw freedman, meaning he was a formerly enslaved person who was part of the Choctaw Nation.
We don't know exactly when Wallace Willis was born or when he died. He might have lived from about 1820 to 1880. He is famous for writing several important songs called Negro spirituals. These songs are a type of religious folk music.
Wallace got his last name, Willis, from the person who enslaved him, Britt Willis. This likely happened in Mississippi, which was the original home of the Choctaw people. Wallace probably passed away in what is now Atoka County, Oklahoma. His grave is there, but it doesn't have a marker.
Before the Civil War, Wallace and his wife, Aunt Minerva, worked at the Spencer Academy. The person in charge there, Reverend Alexander Reid, heard them singing. In 1871, Reverend Reid heard the Jubilee Singers perform. They were a famous group from Fisk University. He thought Wallace and Minerva's songs were even better!
Reverend Reid shared Wallace's songs with the Jubilee Singers. They performed these songs all over the United States and Europe. Many of them became very well-known. Two of the most famous are "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Steal Away To Jesus".
Some people have wondered if these songs were written by someone else. However, there are no records of these songs existing before the Jubilee Singers performed them. This suggests that Wallace Willis truly was their composer.
Songs by Wallace Willis
Wallace Willis is known for writing these spiritual songs:
- "I'm A Rollin'"
- "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
- "Steal Away To Jesus"
- "The Angels are Coming"
About "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
Quick facts for kids "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" |
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Page from The Jubilee Singers (1873)
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| Song | |
| Written | circa 1840 |
| Genre | Spirituals |
| Songwriter(s) | Wallace Willis |
Wallace Willis wrote "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" around 1840. He was living in what is now Choctaw County, near Hugo, Oklahoma. He might have been inspired by the Red River, where he worked. The river may have reminded him of the Jordan River from the Bible.
The song also connects to the story of the Prophet Elijah. In the Bible, Elijah was taken to heaven in a chariot. This story is found in 2 Kings 2:11.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is a very important song. In 2002, the US Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry. This list saves recordings that are important to American history and culture. The song was also named one of the Songs of the Century. This honor came from the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
