Get on Board by Lawrence Weiss, 2017
Get on Board
U.S.A.
HISTORY AND SONG NOTES
Get on Board is a traditional African American spiritual. Some believe that Get on Board was originally written by John Chamberlain, a Baptist minister from New Hampshire, during the American Civil War. However, there is evidence that the tune and lyrics originated from earlier songs from Scotland. Get on Board was first published in 1872 by the Fisk Jubilee Singers under the original title, The Gospel Train. The Fisk Jubilee Singers were a world renowned African American a cappella ensemble from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee that toured the United States and the world throughout the 1870s; they were instrumental with preserving and introducing the African American spiritual tradition to the world.