Uncloudy Day
| "Uncloudy Day" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Staple Singers | |
| Released | 1879 |
| Recorded | 1965 |
| Studio | Vee-Jay Records, Chicago |
| Genre | Gospel music |
| Length | 3:00 |
| Label | Vee-Jay Records |
| Songwriter(s) | J.K. Alwood |
Uncloudy Day, also known as Unclouded Day, is a gospel song written by Josiah Kelley Alwood in 1879. Originally popular in church hymnals, it has come to be recorded many times over the years since, including being an early attention-getter for future star act The Staple Singers in 1956, their version serving as an inspiration to a young Bob Dylan, who called it "the most mysterious thing I'd ever heard".
Alwood related a story about the event that inspired the song:
To awake and look abroad and remember the night was to be filled with sweet melody. A while at the organ brought forth a piece of music now known as "The Unclouded Day." A Day and a half was bestowed on the four stanzas.
— A Rainbow at Midnight and A Song With Morning (1896)
The Staple Singers covered this song in 1956, 13 year old Mavis Staples providing deep-voiced, soulful vocals that most assumed had come from an older woman expressing great experience, or even a man. It was also covered by the outlaw country singer Willie Nelson in 1977, and performed by both Nelson and Vermont rock band Phish at Farm Aid in 1998.
Among other artists to have recorded this song are Gloria Lynne (1954), Johnny Cash (1970), Rory Block (1981), Don Henley (1982), Doc Watson (1990), Sons of the San Joaquin (1997), Randy Travis (2003), Brad Paisley (2005), Brenda Lee (2007), The Blind Boys of Alabama (2008), and Audra Mae (2011).
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