From Slavery I Sing

From Slavery I Sing Sparky Rucker Glory, glory, hallelujah, when I lay my burden down .... Every time I throw my head back to sing an old slave song, it's as if I am transported back in time to those old days that produced the roots of spirituals and the blues. It seems that every fiber of my being reflects the truth of that era. Times were rough and the music saw us through. My approach to this music was greatly influenced by stories of my family and its history. My paternal great-grandmother 's name was Eliza Cunningham. She last saw her mother at the auction block in Williamsburg, Virginia, where they were both sold into slavery. She was then chained to the back of a wagon and forced to walk from Williamsburg to Athens, Tennessee, some 560 miles by today's roads. Eliza gave birth to three daughters and possibly a son. One daughter, Luola, married John Lindsey Rucker, who was the son of Daniel Rucker and Patsy Haney Rucker. Patsy's parents were Henry and Parthina Haney, and when Patsy died on July 10, 1873, while giving birth to her son John Lindsey, her parents took John and raised him as their own. John L. Rucker later became the bishop of the Church of God (Sanctified Church). He served in that capacity for thirty-three years, during which time he was also a missionary to Panama, Haiti, and Jamaica. John and Luola had twelve children, six boys and six girls. The youngest of these boys was James David Rucker, my father. J. D. attended Tennessee A&I University in Nashville, Tennessee , where he was an All-American football player. He later met and married Louretta Thomas and joined Knoxville's police force as one of the first African American policemen; he rose to the rank of captain. Louretta's family traces her roots to Virginia as well. Her grandmother was Harriet Carter, whose family is of the "Virginia Carters" from whom sprang such luminaries as Robert E. Lee and the singing Carter family. Harriet's father was the slave master, and her mother was probably one of his favorite concubines. One incident from my family's oral history is that the master's sister (Harriet's aunt) was very envious of the deferential treatment that Harriet was receiving. In a fit of jealous rage she threatened to cut off Harriet's long silky hair and to use it in the making of bricks. Harriet, of course, was enraged at this suggestion and in the heat of the moment pushed her aunt down the stairs. Harriet's brother, William, rushed to his sister's aid. There was a big uproar at this audacity, and Harriet, her sister Susan, her mother, and her brother were all forced to move from the "big" house and to live with the rest of the slaves. Her brother William, who was described as being a huge man with flaming red hair, was further punished by being branded with an "N" on the cheek to indicate that he was a slave. Harriet was spared this indignity by the heroism of her brother. They were all eventually sold to another slave master. After emancipation, Harriet married Russell Thomas, the son of Jesse and Lucy Thomas. Jesse Thomas was a free black who, during the Civil War, was forced by one of the marauding armies 23 Sparky and Rhonda Rucker into forced labor. He was never seen again. Harriet and Russell had a large family, six girls and two boys, and the younger of those boys was Benjamin Harrison Thomas, who was known as "Harrison." He was named for Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and friend of the Virginia Carters. Harrison married Lila O'Neal from Alabama, and the youngest of their three daughters was my mother, Louretta. Some of the first musical experiences I had were in church. In my earliest years we attended the Payne Avenue Church of God, whose pastor was my paternal grandfather, John L. Rucker. In later years we attended the Boyd Street Church of God with my uncle, C. B. Rucker, as pastor. With my father's booming...