Recorded interviews of over 1,000 people in the Appalachian Mountains lay the foundation for this 360 page biography detailing the life of Brother Claude Ely, the religious singer-songwriter and Pentecostal-Holiness preacher from southwestern Virginia, perhaps best-known for his song, “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down”. While visiting a London record shop in 2001, Macel Ely II heard a familiar voice playing over the speakers. He learned that it was indeed the powerful chanting of his great-uncle and was amazed at the magnitude of the impact his music still maintained on people worldwide. He then embarked on what would become a 9-year journey to discover the true story of Brother Claude Ely as well as to investigate his legacy. Brother Claude Ely passed along a musical and spiritual influence which can still be heard today like a mountain echo in those long, winding hollows and impoverished coal fields. Authored by Brother Claude Ely’s nephew, Macel Ely II, the biography is supplemented by 290 sepia photographs along with a CD featuring rare and electrifying audio recordings of Pentecostal worship services in the mountains of Kentucky and Virginia accompanied by a fiery sermon preached by Brother Claude Ely himself.

360 page hardcover book with dust jacket in shrinkwrap - CD stored in back of book.

TRACK LISTING

1.“There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” (a Capella) Sang By Reverend David Brock, Sister Sharon Brock, James Burkhart, And Congregation At The Charity Tabernacle In Cold Springs, Kentucky, June 6, 2010
2. “Jesus Is Mine (Mine, Mine, Mine)” Sang At The Free Pentecostal Church Of God In Pucketts Creek, Virginia, Ca. 1980
3. Daniel Ely Testifying Spoken At The Free Pentecostal Church Of God In Pucketts Creek, Virginia, Ca. 1980
4. “Zion’s Hill (Here They Come, Oh What A Thrill)” Sang By Reverend Jim Ewing, Sr. Of The Free Pentecostal Church Of God In Pucketts Creek, Virginia, Ca. 1980
5.“Shout And Shine” Sang By Reverend Jim Ewing, Jr. And Patricia Ewing At The Free Pentecostal Church Of God In Pucketts Creek, Virginia, Ca. 1980
6. “He Is Coming Soon” Sang By Reverend Windell D. Ely At The Free Pentecostal Church Of God In Pucketts Creek, Virginia, Ca. 1980
7. “Amazing Grace” Sang By The Congregation Of The Free Pentecostal Church Of God In Pucketts Creek, Virginia, Ca. 1980
8. “When The Battle’s Over (We Shall Wear A Crown)” & “I’ve Just Begun To Live” Sang By The Congregation Of The Free Pentecostal Church Of God In Pucketts Creek, Virginia, Ca. 1980
9. “Lingering Could Be Your Doom” Sermon By Brother Claude Ely Conducted At The Highway Of Holiness Pentecostal Church In Hamilton, Ohio, 1977
10. “There Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down” Sang By James Burkhart, Reverend David Brock, And Sister Sharon Brock At The Charity Tabernacle In Cold Springs, Kentucky, June 6, 2010