Cuilionn - Rain, Storm, Fire, Wind, Kumbaya

Topic: Seminal Versions
The "rain, storm" variant of "Kumbaya" was in tradition in 1997 when it was recorded by Stairwell. The Mennonite quartet from Bethel College incorporated the text into a cante fable narrating the life of Jesus.

Cuilionn probably learned it earlier, but her comment on Mudcat Café didn’t indicate her age. She told others she didn’t

"remember holding hands when this was sung at Methodist youth events and church camp worship services... we were too busy doing the ASL (American Sign Language) version [1] as we sang (when singing it slow) or punctuating the song with handclaps (when singing a syncopated faster version I came to prefer).

"The faster variant--which uses a different tune altogether--had words something like these:

"Somebody’s praying, Lord, Kumbaya (clap-clap)
Somebody’s praying, Lord, Kumbaya (clap-clap)
Somebody’s praying, Lord, Kumbaya (clap-clap)
Rain, Storm, Fire, Wind, Kumbaya."

The ensuing chorus was three repetitions of the "kumbaya, kumbaya" phrase that ended with the "rain, storm" line. [2]

Her version must have come from some time between the early 1970s when the imitative movements diffused and the time when the Methodist church, as a corporate entity, abandoned support for institutions like camps and colleges. I don’t know the date for last, but one of you may be able to tell us.

More recently the song has been spread by Sweetwine, a vocal group sponsored by the Lutheran’s Valparaiso University. The twelve singers tour during Thanksgiving and spring breaks. [3]

It probably spread through other channels to the Czech Republic and British Columbia where Michellee Groening recorded a version in 2012. Another more anonymous girl calling herself Fiery Rainbow Cosplay also uploaded a video to YouTube in 2015.

The versions all had the minor melody and "rain, storm" line, but differed in how they were sung. Rainbow’s was very similar to that of Cuilionn, only she struck the body of her guitar rather than clap her hands.

Cuilionn remembered "The chorus had some great harmonies--different parts for male & female voices." [4] Groening recorded a version of herself singing "each individual part (6 different parts), and even changed a few notes a bit" using Garageband software. Instead of claps, she took audible breaths at the ends of lines, and in two verses (dancing, praying) sang an extended "oh" before the breath. The harmonies were like those of Tereza Kubalová mentioned in the post for 2 September 2018.

Sweetwine simplified the chorus to rain, rain, fire, Lord. Instead of hand claps at the ends of line, they had a drum play throughout. The single beat was expanded to several tones partway through. A handclap was added in the last line. They began with one man singing a line, then two, then added the women. After that the women sang the melody in unison while the men sang kumbaya as a counterpoint and, in one verse, a few women sang "ah" as a descant.

Stairwell began like Sweetwine by adding a part on each line of the opening "kumbaya, kumbaya." Thereafter, they used a male soloist, with the others singing "kumbaya" as a two-part counterpoint accented by a higher voiced descant. This continued through the telling of the miracles worked by Jesus, but changed to a rattle and vocal rhythm during the description of Calvary. It then returned to the original a capella form to end with a single "I’m singing."

Performers
Stairwell
Vocal Soloist: Kelson Graber, tenor

Vocal Group: Jim Ostlund, tenor; Kelly Stucky, baritone; Allen Krehbiel, bass [5]

Instrumental Accompaniment: none
Rhythm Accompaniment: rattle, sticks

Michellee Groening
Vocal Soloist: Michellee Groening
Vocal Group: Michellee Groening overdubbing herself
Instrumental Accompaniment: none
Rhythm Accompaniment: none

Sweetwine
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: twelve young women and men
Instrumental Accompaniment: none
Rhythm Accompaniment: drum, hand clap

Fiery Rainbow Cosplay
Vocal Soloist: adolescent girl
Vocal Group: none
Instrumental Accompaniment: none
Rhythm Accompaniment: struck body of guitar

Credits
None given

Notes on Lyrics
Stairwell
Verses: praying, crying, singing, own about life of Christ

Michellee Groening
Verses: singing, dancing, crying, praying

Sweetwine
Verses: singing, praying, praising

Fiery Rainbow Cosplay
Verses: singing, dancing, praying, singing

All
Language: English
Vocabulary
Pronoun: somebody
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: rain, storm, fire, wind

Basic Form: verse-chorus
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: none, except Stairwell who truncated the last line

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: own melody
Tempo: moderate
Basic Structure: strophic repetition

Cuilionn
Singing Style: "We threw ourselves into singing them with all the unrestrained, marginally innocent enthusiasm of, well, teenagers at a Methodist church camp." [6]

Notes on Performance
Fiery Rainbow Cosplay
Occasion: performed for video
Location: her bedroom
Microphones: none
Clothing: casual

Notes on Performers
Stairwell was influenced by Acapella, a Church of Christ quartet from Paris, Tennessee. [7] However that group did not include "Kumbaya" on any of the albums it sold on its website. Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas, was founded by Russian immigrants. [8]

Sweetwine was organized in 1972, as an extra-curricular ensemble and religious ministry. [9] Valparaiso in Valparaiso, Indiana, was run by the Lutheran University Association, which was affiliated with the Missouri Synod. [10]

mzmichellee uploaded videos of her father and uncle, Gordon and Danny Groening. They played accordion and drums for years, first as the Gordonairs duet, then as a German polka band based in Surrey, British Columbia. [11] The Canadian city was near Vancouver and the United States boundary. [12]

Cuilionn and Fiery Rainbow Cosplay adopted pseudonyms that gave no clue to their identity.

Availability
Record: Stairwell. Here I Am. 1997. Reissued by CD Baby, 2017.

YouTube: Stairwell. "Kum Ba Yah" uploaded by CDBaby on 9 March 2017.

YouTube: Michellee Groening. "Kumbaya (Come By Here)" uploaded by mzmichellee on 2 February 2012.

YouTube: Sweetwine. "Kumbaya" uploaded by SweetWineVALPO on 2 June 2012.

YouTube: Anonymous. "Kumbaya" uploaded by Fiery Rainbow Cosplay on 6 March 2015. This wasn’t available when I looked 23 May 2018.

End Notes
1. For more on the deaf language movements, see the posts for 25 October 2017, 2 November 2017, and 4 November 2017.

2. Cuilionn. Mudcat Café website. "Holding Hands and Singing ‘Kumbaya’." Thread begun 29 January 2007. Comment added 31 August 2010.

3. "Extracurricular Ensembles." Valparaiso University website.
4. Cuilionn.
5. "Here I Am." CD Baby website.
6. Cuilionn.

7. CD Baby. Acapella was organized by Keith Lancaster in 1982. (Wikipedia. "Acappella (Group)".)

8. Wikipedia. "Bethel College (Kansas)."
9. Valparaiso website.
10. Wikipedia. "Valparaiso University."
11. "The Gordanairs." Facebook.
12. Wikipedia. "Surrey, British Columbia."