[1946]
Songwriters: Hy Zaret and Lou Singer

This gospel song worries about the potential misuse of atomic power by an undefined 'Evil.' While The Golden Gate Quartet was no doubt referring to a global, metaphoric 'Evil,' one without geographic borders, the U.S. government was busily anticipating the inevitable goal of the nation it believed to be the true evil, the USSR. And on that day when the Russians tested their first bomb (August 29, 1949), 'evil' would be defined for us by politicians…repeatedly.

The Golden Gate Quartet was formed in 1934 in Norfolk, Virginia and is best remembered for popularizing the 'jubilee' style of black gospel. The original line-up for The Gates, as they came to be known, was William Langford (first tenor), Henry Owens (second tenor), Willie Johnson (baritone) and Orlandus Wilson (bass). The Gates first found success on the radio, especially on WBT in Charlotte,... (continuer)