Drexel University and Reservoir to Release Debut Album 50 Years in the Making by Protest Soul Pioneers Nat Turner Rebellion

Today, Drexel University's Undergraduate Music Industry program and independent music company Reservoir announce the release of Nat Turner Rebellion's Laugh to Keep From Crying, resurrecting protest soul's long-lost pioneers with a debut album 50 years in the making. Out this Thursday, March 28th, at 12pm EST via a new partnership between Drexel's student-run MAD Dragon Records and Vinyl Me, Please (HERE), the deluxe 180 Gram LP with bonus 7" single is an essential, 14-track document of Philly Soul, Black Power politics, and a collision of rock and funk that should have soundtracked a revolution. The album will be available to stream at all worldwide DSPs this Friday, March 29th. 

Read more about the project and stream/share "Tribute to a Slave" (on DSPs now) at Rolling Stone: https://bit.ly/2HI7VjX

On "Tribute to a Slave" - the group’s first single, tracked in 1969 - NTR bandleader and lone survivor Joe Jefferson beckons to the original Nat Turner, channeling the revolutionary spirit of the 1831 uprising into a galvanizing groove. Like Turner, Jefferson came up in Virginia, but landed in Philadelphia during a stint drumming for the Manhattans. There, he founded the Nat Turner Rebellion as a vocal quartet with Major Harris, Ron Harper, and Bill Spratley. After opening for the Delfonics, the band signed to hit-maker Stan Watson's Philly Groove Records in 1970.

At the renowned Sigma Sound Studios - which defined pop music's international "Sound of Philadelphia" throughout the 1970s, from Bowie's Young Americans to Gamble & Huff and MFSB - Nat Turner Rebellion cut dozens of tracks over the next two years, but creative differences and clashes with Watson sidelined the project. While Jefferson went on to write #1 Billboard R&B chart-topping singles for groups like the Spinners, and Major Harris joined the Delfonics and enjoyed a solo hit with "Love Won't Let Me Wait," the Nat Turner Rebellion recordings languished in a Philadelphia storage unit. In 2005, a cache of some 7000 master tapes - now known as The Sigma Sound Studios Collection - were donated to Drexel University, where they've been housed for the Music Industry program ever since. 

As Drexel's Audio Archives Director Toby Seay unearthed the Nat Turner Rebellion tapes amidst the collection, Reservoir acquired Philly Groove Records in 2012. A year later SVP of A&R and Catalog Development Faith Newman met with Joe Jefferson to get his blessing to release the unheard works. "While these recordings capture a significant moment in history, they are just as relevant and powerful now as when they were originally recorded," says Newman. "We are grateful to Drexel and MAD Dragon for their partnership in helping these recordings see the light of day in Joe Jefferson's lifetime and honored that he entrusted us with preserving the legacy of the project." 

Laugh to Keep From Crying is the latest in a series of partnerships between Drexel and Reservoir, who previously teamed up on a 2015 semester-long music-mixing class called Uncovering Philly Groove, and again in 2017 for a project sourcing the Philly Groove catalog to create new music for reggae artist Bitty McLean's Bitty In Philly album. Now, by way of Music Industry Professor Marc Offenbach and his students, Laugh to Keep From Crying marks the first full-length release from the Drexel Audio Archives, but one of the many reasons that Drexel ranks in Billboard's Top 3 Music Business Schools. 

As part of the Drexel Music Industry mission to expand the cultural literacy of their collective community, the school will hold a public event on May 1st, celebrating the Nat Turner Rebellion, Sigma Sound, and more with special guests and an exciting program to be announced soon.

Laugh to Keep From Crying Track List

Side A

Laugh to Keep From Crying

Tribute to a Slave

Fatback

Care

Love Peace & Understanding

Can't Go On Living

Side B

McBride's Daughter

Fruit of the Land

Plastic People

Never Too Late

Getting Higher Together

Going in Circles

Bonus 7"

Right On We're Back b/w Ruby Lee

More Info on Drexel's Music Industry Program

Philadelphia-based Drexel's Music Industry program focuses on cutting edge production techniques, the most current business and legal developments, and a basic music education to create a unique experience for the student who has a passion for the music industry. Each student receives hands-on instruction starting the first day of classes, using the latest equipment in recording studios and digital audio labs, while developing the ability to innovate, integrate and adapt in an ever-evolving global landscape. Students "learn the ropes" by working with Drexel's own music industry business entities: MAD Dragon Music Group, which includes MAD Dragon Records, and MAD Dragon Studios. MAD Dragon Records has received 13 nominations and won 2 Independent Music Awards (IMA) as Best College Record Label.

Follow Drexel's Music Industry Program

More Info on Reservoir

Reservoir is an independent music company based in New York City. Founded as a family business in 2007, and with offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, and London, hundreds of #1 releases worldwide, and writers based everywhere from Hollywood to Hamburg, Reservoir has emerged as the boutique music company with a global reach. Diverse and ever-expanding, the company boasts a multi-genre, hit-driven catalog. Its archives include historic pieces written by greats like Billy Strayhorn, David Crosby, Gram Parsons, Irving Burgie, and John Denver, while the company's roster of active writers and producers includes the award-winning James Fauntleroy, Ali Tamposi, Jamie Hartman, Lauren Christy, Dave Bassett, Nate "Danja" Hills, and Statik Selektah, plus popular performing artists 2 Chainz, Young Thug, Joey Bada$$, WatchTheDuck, and Migos' Offset and Takeoff.