T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History Collection

ABSTRACT

INTERVIEWEE NAME:     Hatter, Eula Mae                      COLLECTION:     4700.0895

IDENTIFICATION:     McKinley graduate and longtime gospel programmer for WXOK.

INTERVIEWER:     Rashada Jenkins, Katina Welsh, and Shanta Jenkins

PROJECT:     McKinley 3:   African American Churches

INTERVIEW DATES:     July 17, 1997

FOCUS DATES:     1930s -1990s

ABSTRACT:

Tape 1273, Side A

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native born December 17, 1921; spent most of her life in same house; employed as a gospel programmer on WXOK radio; attended grammar school at Reddy Street School, high school at McKinley; graduated after 11^th grade, no 12^th grade back then; church was the center of social activities; accepted the Lord and baptized at age 11; became involved in church music as a teenager; took piano lessons; various choirs at her church, she is the musician for senior choir; first church was St. Mary Baptist Church, then member of New Prospect Baptist Church since age 19; description of a typical Sunday and church service; frequently played songs at services, gospel songs and spirituals; Paul Simon, a well-known gospel artist in Baton Rouge; gospel was not as prevalent when she was a child as it is now; her account of African-American music types, “first there were spirituals … then came blues and then jazz and then gospel”; definition of Baptist Training Union or BTU, similar to Sunday school; description of her baptism at New St. John Baptist Church by Reverend E.D. Billups; was baptized in a pool in the church, baptisms used to be done in the Mississippi River or a pond; songs played during her baptism and during recent baptisms; gospel songs at weddings; gospel songs at funerals; employment at WXOK began in response to a call for female broadcaster to play gospel, no experience necessary; gospel artists she was familiar with at that time; “I love the Lord. I like his music”; gospel music is more instrumental now; gospel group from Baton Rouge, Voices of Zion started by Edward Gaines and Leo Perkins; gospel singers she’s interviewed over the years; participation in Gospel Music Workshop of America; gospel music versus hymns and spirituals; she prefers gospel to other types of music; singing gospel makes her feel great, brings her joy.

TAPES:     1 (T1273)                                                 TOTAL PLAYING TIME:  23 minutes

# PAGES TRANSCRIPT:   14

OTHER MATERIALS:    Index (2 pages), Correspondence, Interview data sheet, Interviewer’s

                                             comments, Interview excerpts (4 pages), Biography of interviewee,

                                             Handwritten information on gospel music (2 pages), Interview

                                             questions form (2 pages), Handwritten interview questions (2 pages)

RESTRICTIONS:     None