WALLIS WILLIS
Uncle Wallace Willis (sometimes Wallis Willis) was a Choctaw freedman living in the Indian Territory, in what is now Choctaw County, near the city of Hugo, Oklahoma. His dates are unclear: perhaps 1820 to 1880. He is credited with composing (probably before 1860) several Negro spirituals. In 1871, Reverend Alexander Reid was at a performance of the Jubilee Singers and thought the songs he had heard the Willises singing were better than those of the Jubilee Singers. Many are now famous, including "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Steal Away To Jesus". It is sometimes claimed that the composer of the songs credited to Willis is unknown, but no record exists of any of them prior to the performances by the Jubilee Singers. (More from Wikipedia)
More recently, "Negro spirituals" are a type of work song that was sung among African American slaves; today, they are recognized as a separate genre of music. Some have become quite famous, and even the likely authorship is known in some cases. Wikipedia reports that "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" was written by Wallis Willis sometime before 1862.
(March 2015)
