Soldier's Prayer
1969 · Peachtree P-104 · USA
- Artist
- Eddie Billups
- Title
- Soldier's Prayer
- Release
- Ask My Heart / Soldier's Prayer
- Year
- 1969
- Label
- Peachtree # P-104
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Eddie Billips
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
The song "A Soldier's Prayer" (Peachtree Record Company # P-104) by Eddie Billups (from Atlanta?), a northern soul super rare collectable - it sells for thousands of dollars, with the last auction on Ebay hitting $3,900 (May 2012) - has a gospel, religious feel to it, as the soldier "prays night and day", that "one day you'll soon take me by the hand". The track actually opened with a little patriotic line, with the soldier telling the listener that "I'm...way over here fighting for a good cause". Released on the Atlanta label Peachtree, founded by Henry Wynn & William Bell - the latter, who produced this record, had some similar themed Vietnam songs already discussed: "Soldier's Goodbye" (1966), "Marching Off to War" (1966), and then in 1970 "Lonely Soldier".
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Unknown - the record is documented but the singer's biography is not. Deep-soul vocalist Eddie Billups cut "A Soldier's Prayer" backed with 'Ask My Heart' for the Atlanta label Peachtree (Peachtree 104); the coupling was later reissued in the UK on Grapevine 2000. Beyond his 45s, no biographical record (birth, death or home state) has been located. [Source: Discogs; RateYourMusic; Sir Shambling's (negative search)]
Themes
In collections
US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs