American Experience · SEASON 12
Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory
Episode 13 · 2000-05-01

- Documentary
Episode overview
Former slaves spread the gospel of African-American music in an inspiring 2000 chronicle of the 1870s Tennessee vocal group Jubilee Singers that introduced such songs as "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "This Little Light of Mine" into popular culture. Dion Graham narrates the hour, which follows the Jubilees as they tour the U.S. and Europe. They had to battle racism and internal strife, and in the process saved their school -- Nashville's Fisk University -- from bankruptcy. More important, they permanently broadened American music.
55 minutes
Season 12 episodes
1. New York (1): The Country and the City1999-11-14
2. New York (2): Order and Disorder1999-11-15
3. New York (3): Sunshine and Shadow1999-11-16
4. New York (4): The Power and the People1999-11-17
5. New York (5): Cosmopolis1999-11-18
6. Eleanor Roosevelt2000-01-10
7. Houdini2000-01-24
8. Nixon's China Game2000-01-31
9. The Duel2000-02-14
10. John Brown's Holy War2000-02-28
11. George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (1)2000-04-23
12. George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (2)2000-04-24
13. Jubilee Singers: Sacrifice and Glory2000-05-01
14. Joe DiMaggio: The Hero's Life2000-05-08
15. The Wizard of Photography2000-05-23