Where's that song?

Ed McCurdy; The Miracle Of The Wheat

KBRK AM radio frequently played a curious song at Christmas during the formative years of my sisters and me. As I’ve mentioned once or twice, when I listen to a song, I typically process it as I hear it, noting chords, melody and key. Somebody can tell me words later. “The Miracle Of The Wheat” would always make my sister D. and I laugh in derision at the sound of the soprano on the two-line chorus:

“Hear the glory of a story, the miracle of the wheat,

Hear the glory of a story, the miracle of the wheat.”

rendering attention to the rest of the song impossible. If you will recall, sensitivity to dorkiness occurs at its strongest during the high school years and a brown spot found anywhere on the apple ruins the whole apple.

I don’t remember why I got curious about this song a few years back, but I jumped aboard the world wide interweb in an effort to locate an mp3 file of the song to see if its dorkiness has held up since D. and I ridiculed its weaker moments. I couldn’t find anything then, and my attempts to find one have failed on other searching expeditions. But recently I struck gold. Not only did I find the song, but I also discovered that others have been searching for this song, too.

Ervin Drake and Jimmy Shirl wrote “The Miracle Of The Wheat” in 1951. Sinatra’s “It Was A Very Good Year", Frankie Laine’s “I Believe” and many others came from the collaborating pens of Drake and Shirl. They wanted to write a song of Jesus’ birth under different circumstances that told a good story. They had success with the good story part, but with little commercial appeal. The only person to pick the song up was American folk singer Ed McCurdy who recorded the song in 1958.

The recording received substantial airplay in Cincinnati, OH, by Stan Matlock on WKRC-AM during his morning show “The Magazine of the Air” during the Christmas season in the 1950's and 1960's. He had, essentially, a talk show before talk shows had been invented. He didn’t like to play music except on very few occasions. And this song, for some reason, sat right with him. To this day, people in Cincinnati remember the song, though Mr. Matlock retired in the 1970’s and took his recordings with him.

Now, dig this: Ed McCurdy died in 2000. His wife, Beryl, hasn’t come across a copy of the recording he did of this song. Stan Matlock died in 2001. His widow, Louise, knows nothing of the recording of the song championed by her husband. Even Ervin Drake doesn’t have a copy of Ed McCurdy singing his song. But I have found one. And you may listen to it by clicking right … HERE!

D. and I still smile at the soprano singing on the chorus. The tune sounds like it comes from the old country. The design of the missive seems trite. All of the elements of recording and style make this a museum piece … Except that the uniqueness of the story and the sincerity in the performance bring a consignment of credibility and an abundance of truth to a basic yet everlasting mandate of peace and goodwill toward men.

Credits: To Bert Goetz and Stan Matlock, and other radio station DJ’s of yore, who perceived intelligence and trust on the other end of their broadcast mic, providing, therefore, adherence to integrity, excellence in content and sustenance to and prolongation of a listening community. Thank you.