Jarrett Roseborough - Come By Here

Topic: Pandemic Versions
The year 2020 was marked by the deaths of George Floyd [1] and 377,833 individuals who suffered from COVID-19. [2]  Very few versions of “Come by Here” or “Kumbaya” uploaded to YouTube directly addressed these tragedies.  Jarrett Roseborough may be the only one who posted a memorial tribute.

Roseborough used a version of “Come by Here” recorded in 1988 by the Breath of Life Quartet. [3]  Using the same kind of techniques perfected by virtual choirs, he sang all four parts.

The arrangement by Cedric Dent originally had three verses: “kumbaya,” “someone’s crying,” and “come by here.”  Roseborough knew that: the choir he directed at Pine Forge Academy near Pottstown, Pennsylvania, performed it that way. [4]  However, for this video, he reverted to the older funeral associations of the song and replaced the “kumbaya” verse with a second “come by here.”

In the notes he uploaded with the video, Roseborough wrote:

“You might notice the different shirts I am wearing in each video.  They all represent a body of people/family that has lost a loved one recently (Oakwood University/Aeolians, Pine Forge Academy, and Decatur SDA Church/South Atlantic Conference).  This is dedicated to them.  You will notice though, that in one of the videos my shirt is blank.  That is for the many names I do not know that have lost.”

Anonymity and anomie may be the worst part of the pandemic.  For long periods, hospitals were overwhelmed, and all the attendant institutions understaffed.  The confinement of individuals to their homes accelerated the separation of individuals from their communities that had been quietly growing unmarked.

The Evereadys of Detroit, Michigan, recorded “Lord Come By Here” in 1983.  There was no on-line obituary posted when a member of the group died in 2007. [5]  Similarly, nothing appeared when the group’s lead singer died from COVID-19 on 2 April 2020. [6]  One fan did not discover Jerome Williams died until August.

“While driving around Belle Isle viewing portraits of Detroit’s Covid-19 casualties, I saw his photo which was one of the last ones.  I was blown away because I had not heard of his transition.  He was an inspiration to me as I learned so much just watching him bless the church & the world with his talents.  Blessings to his family, and may the God of peace continue to watch over us all.  Remember, to go to Jesus on the still of the night.” [7]

Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: quartet, all parts sung by Jarrett Roseborough
Instrumental Accompaniment: none
Rhythm Accompaniment: none

Credits
Arr. By Cedric Dent

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: takes a deep breath between lines. [8]
Verses: come by here, praying
Pronoun: someone
Term for Deity: Lord
Basic Form: one-verse song, framed by “come by here”
Verse Repetition Pattern: ABA
Ending: repeats “Oh Lord, come by here”

Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Tempo: slow
Harmonic Structure: first verse is parallel harmony, the rest uses Barbershop Quartet styles
Singing Style: ornamented
Vocal-Accompaniment Dynamics: a capella

Notes on Performance
Occasion: memorial to those who died from COVID-19
Location: white background
Microphones: none visible
Clothing: dark-colored school sweatshirts

Notes on Movement
He stands still; only his head is shown in four simultaneous frames.

Notes on Performers
Roseborough’s life is recorded by his shirts.  He was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and graduated from the Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy in 2004. [9]  He matriculated to Oakwood University, where he earned a degree in vocal and choral music.  He later worked as the assistant to the minister of music at the Decatur Seventh-Day Adventist Church.  In 2017, Roseborough joined the faculty of Pine Forge Academy, [10] a Pennsylvania boarding school for African Americans founded in 1946 [11] for students escaping the segregated South. [12]

Cedric Dent grew up in Detroit and earned his music degree from the University of Michigan in 1985.  The baritone sang with Take 6 for twenty-five years. [13]  The a capella group was organized at the Adventist’s Oakwood College in 1980. [14]  At Middle Tennessee State University, Dent teaches classes in black gospel music.  His PhD is from the University of Maryland. [15]

Walter Arties began producing the Breath of Life television program for the Seventh Day Adventist Church in 1974 [16] to reach African-American men.  The program’s original quartet made a three albums in the 1970s.  Then, in 1988, a new group recorded “Come by Here.”  The members were Adrian Westney, Jr., Reger Smith, Jr., Myron Ottley, and Ronald Woodfork. [17]

The Evereadys were the second group profiled by this blog.  They are discussed in the posts for 2 August 2017 and 3 August 2017.

Availability
Video: Jarrett Roseborough.  “Come By Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by Jarrett Roseborough on 4 January 2021.

End Notes
1.  Kyle Pederson’s treatment of Floyd’s death is discussed in the post for 27 June 2021.

2.  Farida B. Ahmad, Jodi A. Cisewski, Arialdi Miniño, and Robert N. Anderson.  “Provisional Mortality Data — United States, 2020.”  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 70:519–522:9 April 2021.

3.  Breath of Life Quartet.  “Come by Here.”  Come by Here.  Portland, Oregon: SonLight Records.  1988.  Uploaded to YouTube by Ricardo Arias Fuentes on 22 March 2021.  Begins about 3:45.

4.  PFA Men’s Chorale.  “Come By Here.”  Uploaded to YouTube by Jarrett Roseborough on 14 July 2018.  I found no evidence Dent published his arrangement.  Roseborough must have learned the parts from the Breath of Life recording and taught them to his choral group.  He may have supplemented the oral transmission by playing the album.

5.  Bob Marovich.  “Eveready’s Aaron Beasley Dies in Detroit.”  Journal of Gospel Music website, 3 October 2007.

6.  Bob Marovich.  “RIP: Jerome Williams of the Evereadys.”  Journal of Gospel Music website, 3 April 2020.

7.  Haywood Glenn.  Comment added 30 August 2020 to Marovich, 2020.  Belle Isle is a city park on an island in the Detroit River managed by the state of Michigan.

8.  Audible breathing is discussed by Zora Neale Hurston in the post for 16 October 2017 on Odetta.

9.  “Jarrett Roseborough.”  Classmates website.
10.  “Jarrett Roseborough, Choir Director.”  Pine Forge Academy website.
11.  Wikipedia.  “Pine Forge Academy.”
12.  “Legacy.”  Pine Forge Academy website.
13.  “Dr. Cedric Dent.”  Middle Tennessee State University website.

14.  “Take 6.”  Singers website.  Oakwood is mentioned in the post for 5 December 2017.

15.  Middle Tennessee.
16.  “About Us.”  Breath of Life television website.
17.  “The Breath of Life Quartet (BLQ).”  Jodah Ministries website.