Joseph Spence (28 April 1699 – 20 August 1768) was a historian, literary scholar and anecdotist, most famous for his collection of anecdotes (published in 1820) that are an invaluable resource for historians of 18th-century English literature (Augustan literature).
In 1709, Spence attended school in Mortimer, near his birthplace, and later attended Eton College and then Winchester College. Spence matriculated to Magdalen Hall, Oxford on 11 April 1717, but did not go up until admitted as scholar or probationary fellow at New College on 22 April 1720. On 30 April 1722, he received a full fellowship, taking his Bachelor of Arts degree on 9 March 1724 and Master of Arts on 2 November 1727. Spence was ordained in the Oxford diocese on 5 June 1726. Early literary friends of Spence included fellow WykehamistsRobert Lowth, Christopher Pitt, and Edward Young.
Born in Andros, Bahamas in 1910, Spence was the son of a pastor, and got his start in music as a teenager playing in his great uncle Tony Spence's band. After leaving school he worked as a sponge fisher, stonemason, and carpenter, and as a crop cutter in the United States.
The earliest recordings of Joseph Spence were made on Spence's porch by folk musicologistSamuel Charters in 1958, with Charters initially thinking that Spence's guitar playing was the work of two players duelling. These were released by Folkways Records on the album Music of the Bahamas Volume One in 1959.
Joseph Spence was a self taught musician from the Bahamas, he's joined by his sister Edith Pinder on this recording
published: 03 Dec 2011
We Will Understand It Better By And By
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
We Will Understand It Better By And By · Joseph Spence
Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium
℗ 1990 Rounder Records. Manufactured and distributed by Concord Music Group, Inc.
Released on: 2023-02-17
Studio Personnel, Recording Engineer: Guy Droussart
Associated Performer, Guitar, Piano, Vocals: Joseph Spence
Associated Performer, Bass Guitar, Vocals: Raymond Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Edith Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Geneva Pinder
Composer Lyricist: Traditional
Auto-generated by YouTube.
published: 16 Feb 2023
The Bahamas - Salute to Joseph Spence
This TV ad is the second in a series of Internet ads that salute Bahamian music. This particular ad salutes the legendary Joseph Spence and promotes CoralWave Lite Internet product in the Bahamas. The recording is by Fred Ferguson on guitar and Geno D vocals. Dancers are from the National Dance Company. CoralWave is a product of Cable Bahamas Ltd.
published: 28 Jun 2007
Learn a Dropped-D Gospel Guitar Instrumental by Joseph Spence
In this Woodshed lesson, guitarist Nick Millevoi demonstrates how to play Joseph Spence's idiosyncratic take on the old gospel number "The Lord is My Shepherd." The full lesson is available at https://bit.ly/2H3aaiu.
published: 21 Sep 2020
Joseph Spence - "Brownskin Gal" [Official Audio]
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's "Brownskin Gal" from the 1992 album 'Joseph Spence: The Complete Folkways Recordings, 1958' on Smithsonian Folkways.
'Joseph Spence: The Complete Folkways Recordings, 1958' is available on CD and digital.
Stream/download/purchase:
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu/joseph-spence/the-complete-folkways-recordings-1958/caribbean-world/music/album/smithsonian
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1XYHpKPo6V6W4dlhM3fgnH?si=V3L1APRqQAWTh9zoYqpnIA
Sam Charters first recorded Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence on Andros Island in July 1958. Spence, long out of work as a stonemason, had used his time to perfect a unique style of playing. Charters took Spence as a model for what he wanted to hear in other Bahamian guitarists. Originally i...
published: 13 Apr 2009
Joseph Spence - "Won't That Be A Happy Time?" [Official Audio]
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's only solo recording of "Won't That Be A Happy Time?" It is one of the hymns in Spence’s repertoire that came from two shape-note hymnals published by James D. Vaughan of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: Harmony Heaven (1934) and Crowning Harmony (1940.) The song is featured on 'Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing,' out July 16, 2021, on Smithsonian Folkways.
Pre-order/stream:
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu/joseph-spence/encore
All other platforms: https://orcd.co/joseph-spence-encore
Encore is a new album produced from previously unheard archival recordings by the legendary Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence, made in 1965 at the height of his career. Spence’s radically innovative guitar style transformed elements ...
published: 17 Jun 2021
Joseph Spence : The Virtuoso From Small Hope
'The Virtuoso from Small Hope' explores the legend and musical impact of fabled Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence.
published: 12 May 2021
Joseph Spence - "Jump in the Line" [Official Audio]
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's "Jump in the Line" from the 1992 album 'Joseph Spence: The Complete Folkways Recordings, 1958' on Smithsonian Folkways.
'Joseph Spence: The Complete Folkways Recordings, 1958' is available on CD and digital.
Stream/download/purchase:
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu/joseph-spence/the-complete-folkways-recordings-1958/caribbean-world/music/album/smithsonian
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1XYHpKPo6V6W4dlhM3fgnH?si=V3L1APRqQAWTh9zoYqpnIA
Sam Charters first recorded Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence on Andros Island in July 1958. Spence, long out of work as a stonemason, had used his time to perfect a unique style of playing. Charters took Spence as a model for what he wanted to hear in other Bahamian guitarists. Originall...
published: 14 Apr 2009
Joseph Spence - Yellow Bird
Old cover of the classic song.
Album: Good Morning Mr. Walker
published: 23 May 2009
Joseph Spence : Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Recorded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 1972 and released on the 1980 Rounder Records album "Living On The Hallelujah Side".
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
We Will Understand It Better By And By · Joseph Spence
Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium
℗ 1990 Rounder...
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
We Will Understand It Better By And By · Joseph Spence
Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium
℗ 1990 Rounder Records. Manufactured and distributed by Concord Music Group, Inc.
Released on: 2023-02-17
Studio Personnel, Recording Engineer: Guy Droussart
Associated Performer, Guitar, Piano, Vocals: Joseph Spence
Associated Performer, Bass Guitar, Vocals: Raymond Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Edith Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Geneva Pinder
Composer Lyricist: Traditional
Auto-generated by YouTube.
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
We Will Understand It Better By And By · Joseph Spence
Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium
℗ 1990 Rounder Records. Manufactured and distributed by Concord Music Group, Inc.
Released on: 2023-02-17
Studio Personnel, Recording Engineer: Guy Droussart
Associated Performer, Guitar, Piano, Vocals: Joseph Spence
Associated Performer, Bass Guitar, Vocals: Raymond Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Edith Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Geneva Pinder
Composer Lyricist: Traditional
Auto-generated by YouTube.
This TV ad is the second in a series of Internet ads that salute Bahamian music. This particular ad salutes the legendary Joseph Spence and promotes CoralWave L...
This TV ad is the second in a series of Internet ads that salute Bahamian music. This particular ad salutes the legendary Joseph Spence and promotes CoralWave Lite Internet product in the Bahamas. The recording is by Fred Ferguson on guitar and Geno D vocals. Dancers are from the National Dance Company. CoralWave is a product of Cable Bahamas Ltd.
This TV ad is the second in a series of Internet ads that salute Bahamian music. This particular ad salutes the legendary Joseph Spence and promotes CoralWave Lite Internet product in the Bahamas. The recording is by Fred Ferguson on guitar and Geno D vocals. Dancers are from the National Dance Company. CoralWave is a product of Cable Bahamas Ltd.
In this Woodshed lesson, guitarist Nick Millevoi demonstrates how to play Joseph Spence's idiosyncratic take on the old gospel number "The Lord is My Shepherd."...
In this Woodshed lesson, guitarist Nick Millevoi demonstrates how to play Joseph Spence's idiosyncratic take on the old gospel number "The Lord is My Shepherd." The full lesson is available at https://bit.ly/2H3aaiu.
In this Woodshed lesson, guitarist Nick Millevoi demonstrates how to play Joseph Spence's idiosyncratic take on the old gospel number "The Lord is My Shepherd." The full lesson is available at https://bit.ly/2H3aaiu.
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's "Brownskin Gal" from the 1992 album 'Joseph Spence: The Complete Folkways Recordings, 1958' on Smithsonian Folkw...
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's only solo recording of "Won't That Be A Happy Time?" It is one of the hymns in Spence’s repertoire that came fro...
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's only solo recording of "Won't That Be A Happy Time?" It is one of the hymns in Spence’s repertoire that came from two shape-note hymnals published by James D. Vaughan of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: Harmony Heaven (1934) and Crowning Harmony (1940.) The song is featured on 'Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing,' out July 16, 2021, on Smithsonian Folkways.
Pre-order/stream:
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu/joseph-spence/encore
All other platforms: https://orcd.co/joseph-spence-encore
Encore is a new album produced from previously unheard archival recordings by the legendary Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence, made in 1965 at the height of his career. Spence’s radically innovative guitar style transformed elements of Bahamian traditional music into adventurous, joyful improvisations and influenced players worldwide. His powerful singing stemmed directly from the rhyming tradition created by Bahamian sponge fishermen early in the 20th century. The music is punctuated by Spence’s unique, sometimes otherworldly vocalizations including humming, short bursts of lyrics, and near-scat singing. Some of the recordings include singing by Spence’s sister Edith Pinder and her family members Raymond and Geneva Pinder. Producer Peter K. Siegel captured these performances at Spence’s only New York concert, at the performer’s cottage in Nassau, Bahamas, and at Siegel’s apartment in Manhattan.
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smithsonianfolkwaysrecordings
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Folkways
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithsonianfolkways
The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's only solo recording of "Won't That Be A Happy Time?" It is one of the hymns in Spence’s repertoire that came from two shape-note hymnals published by James D. Vaughan of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: Harmony Heaven (1934) and Crowning Harmony (1940.) The song is featured on 'Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing,' out July 16, 2021, on Smithsonian Folkways.
Pre-order/stream:
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu/joseph-spence/encore
All other platforms: https://orcd.co/joseph-spence-encore
Encore is a new album produced from previously unheard archival recordings by the legendary Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence, made in 1965 at the height of his career. Spence’s radically innovative guitar style transformed elements of Bahamian traditional music into adventurous, joyful improvisations and influenced players worldwide. His powerful singing stemmed directly from the rhyming tradition created by Bahamian sponge fishermen early in the 20th century. The music is punctuated by Spence’s unique, sometimes otherworldly vocalizations including humming, short bursts of lyrics, and near-scat singing. Some of the recordings include singing by Spence’s sister Edith Pinder and her family members Raymond and Geneva Pinder. Producer Peter K. Siegel captured these performances at Spence’s only New York concert, at the performer’s cottage in Nassau, Bahamas, and at Siegel’s apartment in Manhattan.
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smithsonianfolkwaysrecordings
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Folkways
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithsonianfolkways
The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's "Jump in the Line" from the 1992 album 'Joseph Spence: The Complete Folkways Recordings, 1958' on Smithsonian Fo...
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group
We Will Understand It Better By And By · Joseph Spence
Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium
℗ 1990 Rounder Records. Manufactured and distributed by Concord Music Group, Inc.
Released on: 2023-02-17
Studio Personnel, Recording Engineer: Guy Droussart
Associated Performer, Guitar, Piano, Vocals: Joseph Spence
Associated Performer, Bass Guitar, Vocals: Raymond Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Edith Pinder
Associated Performer, Vocals: Geneva Pinder
Composer Lyricist: Traditional
Auto-generated by YouTube.
This TV ad is the second in a series of Internet ads that salute Bahamian music. This particular ad salutes the legendary Joseph Spence and promotes CoralWave Lite Internet product in the Bahamas. The recording is by Fred Ferguson on guitar and Geno D vocals. Dancers are from the National Dance Company. CoralWave is a product of Cable Bahamas Ltd.
In this Woodshed lesson, guitarist Nick Millevoi demonstrates how to play Joseph Spence's idiosyncratic take on the old gospel number "The Lord is My Shepherd." The full lesson is available at https://bit.ly/2H3aaiu.
Listen to the official audio of Joseph Spence's only solo recording of "Won't That Be A Happy Time?" It is one of the hymns in Spence’s repertoire that came from two shape-note hymnals published by James D. Vaughan of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee: Harmony Heaven (1934) and Crowning Harmony (1940.) The song is featured on 'Encore: Unheard Recordings of Bahamian Guitar and Singing,' out July 16, 2021, on Smithsonian Folkways.
Pre-order/stream:
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu/joseph-spence/encore
All other platforms: https://orcd.co/joseph-spence-encore
Encore is a new album produced from previously unheard archival recordings by the legendary Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence, made in 1965 at the height of his career. Spence’s radically innovative guitar style transformed elements of Bahamian traditional music into adventurous, joyful improvisations and influenced players worldwide. His powerful singing stemmed directly from the rhyming tradition created by Bahamian sponge fishermen early in the 20th century. The music is punctuated by Spence’s unique, sometimes otherworldly vocalizations including humming, short bursts of lyrics, and near-scat singing. Some of the recordings include singing by Spence’s sister Edith Pinder and her family members Raymond and Geneva Pinder. Producer Peter K. Siegel captured these performances at Spence’s only New York concert, at the performer’s cottage in Nassau, Bahamas, and at Siegel’s apartment in Manhattan.
Smithsonian Folkways: https://folkways.si.edu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smithsonianfolkwaysrecordings
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Folkways
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smithsonianfolkways
The content and comments posted here are subject to the Smithsonian Institution copyright and privacy policy (www.si.edu/copyright). Smithsonian reserves the right in its sole discretion to remove any content at any time.
Joseph Spence (28 April 1699 – 20 August 1768) was a historian, literary scholar and anecdotist, most famous for his collection of anecdotes (published in 1820) that are an invaluable resource for historians of 18th-century English literature (Augustan literature).
In 1709, Spence attended school in Mortimer, near his birthplace, and later attended Eton College and then Winchester College. Spence matriculated to Magdalen Hall, Oxford on 11 April 1717, but did not go up until admitted as scholar or probationary fellow at New College on 22 April 1720. On 30 April 1722, he received a full fellowship, taking his Bachelor of Arts degree on 9 March 1724 and Master of Arts on 2 November 1727. Spence was ordained in the Oxford diocese on 5 June 1726. Early literary friends of Spence included fellow WykehamistsRobert Lowth, Christopher Pitt, and Edward Young.