The gospel song “I’ll fly away” is one of the most popular of this genre, performed by numerous artists and on various occasions. It was written by Albert E. Brumley in 1929, inspired by the secular ballad “The Prisoner’s Song”.
According to the gospel songwriter, he was inspired to write this song when he was picking cotton on his father’s farm on Rock Island, Oklahoma.
It seems that, while he was working, he was humming
“If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly,”
lyrics from an old ballad, and that’s when he realized that he could write a gospel song based on that very notion.
Brumley worked for three years on the song, until he finally recorded it with the Selah Jubilee Singers in February 1941 for Decca Records. Since then, the song has been performed and recorded several times, although his writer never expected it to be so popular.
In the video that follows, “I’ll fly away” is renditioned by violinist Rosemary Siemens, mandolinist Kristen Bearfield, and organist Charles Ritchie. The three of them got together after Siemens’ initiative to message Ritchie on Facebook although they had never met in person. She asked if he would like to make a music video with her, and he agreed. The two met in Jackson, Tennessee, where he brought along his organ. It just so happened that Bearfield was also joining Siemens on her US Radio Tour, so the three of them ended up performing “I’ll fly away” in one of the liveliest, most enthusiastic versions of the song.
Who are the three musicians?
Rosemary Siemens is a Canadian, world-class improv violinist and vocalist, who has been playing the violin since the age of three.
She performs with a 300-year-old violin that was played in King Louis XIV’s orchestra.
Siemens was the first violinist to ever perform at the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican since its first mass in 1483, while her 2016 album “Plum Colee, My Home” won “Best Country/Gospel Album of the Year” at Canada’s 2018 Gospel Music Awards and was featured in Billboard Magazine.
Kristen Bearfield is a professional musician, who plays the mandolin, banjo, and guitar. She has been performing as a member of the award-winning female gospel band High Road since 2016. The group is currently performing all around the country.
Charles Ritchie has been a pastor at Agape Baptist Church since 1990. He has also been a professional organist since the age of 13. He enjoys playing music and singing in the revivals he preaches, while he can also be found to perform in various horse shows and concerts around the country.
Apparently, what brought the three musicians together was the love of gospel music and the need to communicate it to as many people as possible around the world.
In the video that follows, you can see the excitement all of them share to be playing this amazing song. Their enthusiasm seems to be contagious since the video soon went viral, currently viewed by more than 700K people. The YouTube community welcomed it with many positive comments.
“Rosemary Siemens is the best violinist who can play God’s music with such feeling or flair, whichever the case may be…it is delightful and wonderful and she brings joy to my heart with her music!” one user wrote.
Enjoy their beautiful rendition of one of the most beloved gospel songs of all time below.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
