Virgil O. Stamps

Virgil Oliver Stamps (1892 – 1940) was a shape note promoter, singer, composer, and singing school teacher.

V. O. Stamps was born in and raised in the Stamps Community in Upshur County, Texas, and was a key individual in early gospel music publishing. As a youth, he worked with his father in a sawmill, and used his earnings to purchase every gospel songbook he could find. In 1907 he attended the singing school of Richard M. Morgan. Sometime after that, his father bought a small store and V. O. worked there while teaching singing schools until 1914.

In 1914 he became a field representative for the James D. Vaughan Music Company of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Stamps worked for the Tennessee Music Company, Samuel Beazley and J. D. Vaughan from 1914–24, including singing in a quartet representing the Vaughan company. Around 1915 he composed his first song, entitled "The Man Behind the Plow".

In 1924 he founded the V. O. Stamps Music Company in Jacksonville, Texas. In that year the first session of the V. O. Stamps School of Music was held, with a faculty that included Thomas Benton, C. C. Stafford, R. B. Vaughan, and Otis Deaton. In 1924 or 1925 he published Harbor Bells - his first song book. In 1927, with J. R. Baxter, Stamps formed the Stamps-Baxter Music Company, based in Dallas, Texas. Stamps organized a gospel quartet in which he sang bass. He was a pioneer is the use of radio for promoting Southern gospel music and quartet singing. Radio station KRLD gave the quartet a daily show in 1936, after a large response from their radio performance at the Texas Centennial Exposition.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1892, Died 1940

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1949

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, bass vocal, lyricist, songwriter, arranger

Notes: Brother of Frank Stamps.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-46 of 46 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Columbia W145309 10-in. 12/2/1927 I am going over there Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with guitar composer  
Columbia W147550 10-in. 12/3/1928 Coming Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with guitar composer  
Columbia W147618 10-in. 12/9/1928 Is it well with your soul The Praetorian Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied composer  
Columbia W147619 10-in. 12/9/1928 At sunset I'm going home The Praetorian Quartet Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied composer  
Columbia W147642 10-in. 12/15/1928 Don't forget to pray The Victory Four Vocal quartet composer  
Columbia W147643 10-in. 12/15/1928 Look for me, I'll be there The Victory Four Vocal quartet composer  
Columbia W149267 10-in. 10/28/1929 Don't forget to pray Rev. M. L. Thrasher and his Gospel Singers Vocal ensemble, with piano composer  
Columbia W150284 10-in. 4/18/1930 Is it well with your soul? Smith’s Sacred Singers Male vocal ensemble, with piano composer  
Columbia CO41619 10-in. 7/30/1949 When the saints go marching in Chuck Wagon Gang Mixed vocal quartet, with guitar arranger  
Columbia CO45795 10-in. 4/25/1951 He said if I be lifted up Chuck Wagon Gang Mixed vocal quartet, with guitar arranger  
OKeh W81346 10-in. 9/19/1927 Don't forget to pray Valdese Quartette Mixed vocal quartet, with organ composer  
OKeh W81347 10-in. 9/19/1927 Waiting for the boatman Valdese Quartette Mixed vocal quartet, with organ lyricist, composer  
OKeh W81638 10-in. 9/27/1927 Is it well with your soul? Carolina Quartette Mixed vocal quartet, unaccompanied composer  
OKeh W402775 10-in. 6/28/1929 On the cross Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
OKeh W402776 10-in. 6/28/1929 Don't forget to pray Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer  
OKeh W402777 10-in. 6/28/1929 It will not be long Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer  
OKeh W402779 10-in. 6/28/1929 Walking with my Lord Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano songwriter  
OKeh W403372 10-in. 11/28/1929 I'm sailing on Harmony Four Male vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Brunswick K8096 10-in. Apr. 1930 Walking with my Lord Etowah Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano songwriter  
Brunswick DAL1247 10-in. 3/8/1941 Love is the key Chuck Wagon Gang Mixed vocal quartet, with guitar composer, lyricist  
Brunswick DAL1248 10-in. 3/8/1941 Coming Chuck Wagon Gang Mixed vocal quartet, with guitar songwriter  
(Results 26-46 of 46 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stamps, Virgil O.," accessed May 10, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108407.

Stamps, Virgil O.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 10, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108407.

"Stamps, Virgil O.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 10 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/108407

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