Author Truuke M. Ameigh’s New Book, "When the Spirit Says Sing!" Presents a Thorough and Compelling Look at the History of African Slave Songs Throughout the Americas

Beaumont, CA, June 04, 2024 --(PR.com)-- Truuke M. Ameigh, an educator, conductor, organist, and composer, has completed her new book, “When the Spirit Says Sing! A Brief History of African Slave Songs in the Americas”: a poignant exploration of the history of African spirituals, and how they have evolved and changed through generations from their earliest beginnings through to the modern day.

Beginning with school as a youth, author Truuke M. Ameigh has had a lifelong interest in spirituals, which have served as a constant source of inspiration. She has taught them and about them as a church musician, a conductor, a public-school music teacher, and a professor. She wrote and published a children’s book about spirituals called “Gonna Sing!” and has had several organ arrangements published, including an arrangement of “Wade in the Water.” As a church musician, she has been a recitalist in many venues, and her career as a teacher and as a church musician has offered innumerable opportunities to conduct this remarkable literature.

“When the Spirit Says Sing!” tells the fascinating story of spirituals and their relationship to enslaved people of the United States, the Bahamas, and Mexico. It begins with the voyage from Africa as it explores the earliest remnants of African song, surviving in America as the ring shout, native to South Carolina and Georgia.

Most of the spirituals mentioned in the book, including ring shouts, are accompanied by printed lyrics and suggestions for listening on the web. Performers recommended for listening include Kathleen Battle, Mahalia Jackson, Paul Robeson, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, and Moses Hogan.

The book covers a wide range of topics, including slave arrivals from Africa, the Underground Railroad, codes and symbols in spirituals, the development of different styles, and the relationship between religion and slavery in the South. The author also describes the roles of abolitionists, stationmasters, and conductors on the Underground Railroad. Each of the above mentioned is accompanied by the depiction of at least one, and usually several, relevant spirituals.

Published by Newman Springs Publishing, Truuke M. Ameigh’s enlightening guide celebrates spirituals as a compelling expression of art and culture and will help readers with little knowledge of this music become informed, while those well acquainted with it will find new material to explore. Engaging and educational, Ameigh’s writings delve deeply and comprehensively into the role of singing in the lives of enslaved people and is accessible to both novices and scholars alike.

Readers who wish to experience this potent work can purchase “When the Spirit Says Sing! A Brief History of African Slave Songs in the Americas” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iBooks Store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Newman Springs Publishing at 732-243-8512.

About Newman Springs Publishing:

Newman Springs Publishing is a full-service publishing house for serious authors. Each title produced by Newman Springs Publishing undergoes every step of the professional publishing process, including editing, layout, cover design, circulation, distribution, and publicity. All titles are made available in both eBook and print formats. Newman Springs Publishing distributes to tens of thousands of retail outlets throughout North America and internationally. All manuscripts in any genre are welcome to be submitted for review; If the manuscript meets the necessary criteria and is accepted for publication, Newman Springs Publishing will work closely with the author to bring the book to the retail market for a relatively inexpensive initial investment.