Virgil O. Stamps

Virgil Oliver Stamps (1892 – 1940) was a shape note promoter, singer, composer, and singing school teacher.

V. O. Stamps was born in and raised in the Stamps Community in Upshur County, Texas, and was a key individual in early gospel music publishing. As a youth, he worked with his father in a sawmill, and used his earnings to purchase every gospel songbook he could find. In 1907 he attended the singing school of Richard M. Morgan. Sometime after that, his father bought a small store and V. O. worked there while teaching singing schools until 1914.

In 1914 he became a field representative for the James D. Vaughan Music Company of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Stamps worked for the Tennessee Music Company, Samuel Beazley and J. D. Vaughan from 1914–24, including singing in a quartet representing the Vaughan company. Around 1915 he composed his first song, entitled "The Man Behind the Plow".

In 1924 he founded the V. O. Stamps Music Company in Jacksonville, Texas. In that year the first session of the V. O. Stamps School of Music was held, with a faculty that included Thomas Benton, C. C. Stafford, R. B. Vaughan, and Otis Deaton. In 1924 or 1925 he published Harbor Bells - his first song book. In 1927, with J. R. Baxter, Stamps formed the Stamps-Baxter Music Company, based in Dallas, Texas. Stamps organized a gospel quartet in which he sang bass. He was a pioneer is the use of radio for promoting Southern gospel music and quartet singing. Radio station KRLD gave the quartet a daily show in 1936, after a large response from their radio performance at the Texas Centennial Exposition.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1892, Died 1940

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1926 - 1951

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, bass vocal, lyricist, songwriter, arranger

Notes: Brother of Frank Stamps.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 1-25 of 46 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BVE-41874 10-in. 2/10/1928 Let me live close to thee Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer  
Victor BVE-41881 10-in. 2/11/1928 He bore it all Stamps Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer  
Victor BVE-46171 10-in. 9/15/1928 When Jesus comes Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-47032 10-in. 9/15/1928 On the happy hallelujah side Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-47033 10-in. 9/15/1928 Singing while ages roll Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-47034 10-in. 9/15/1928 When the light shines thru Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano composer, vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-47035 10-in. 9/15/1928 What a day that will be Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-47040 10-in. 9/15/1928 You must come in at the door Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano composer, vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-47220 10-in. 10/21/1928 Keep marching all the time Turkey Mountain Singers Male vocal quartet, with organ composer  
Victor BVE-47268 10-in. 11/2/1928 Like the rainbow Stamps Quartet Male vocal chorus, with piano composer  
Victor BVE-47278 10-in. 11/2/1928 He'll be with me Palmer Sisters Female vocal trio, with piano composer  
Victor BVE-55338 10-in. 8/11/1929 Does this train go to Heaven Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with violin, cello, and piano vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-55339 10-in. 8/11/1929 Down on the farm Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with violin, cello, and piano vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-55340 10-in. 8/11/1929 What a wonderful time Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-55341 10-in. 8/11/1929 No longer sad Virgil O. Stamps ; M. L. Yandell Male vocal duet, with piano composer, vocalist, bass vocal  
Victor BVE-55343 10-in. 8/11/1929 'Twill not be long Kitts Brothers Male vocal duet, with guitar composer  
Victor BVE-59972 10-in. 5/22/1930 Lord, let me serve Frank Stamps All Star Quartet Male vocal solo, with male vocal accompaniment and piano composer  
Victor BVE-70692 10-in. 2/15/1932 Skies will be blue Frank Stamps All Star Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor BVE-70695 10-in. 2/15/1932 Dreaming alone in the twilight Frank Stamps All Star Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor BVE-70697 10-in. 2/16/1932 Tell him now Piedmont Melody Boys Male vocal quartet, with piano composer, lyricist  
Victor BVE-70699 10-in. 2/16/1932 I ain't gonna let Satan turn me 'roun' Frank Stamps All Star Quartet Male vocal quartet, with female vocal solo and piano composer, lyricist  
Victor BVE-71607 10-in. 2/23/1932 Don't forget to pray Abernathy Quartet Male vocal quartet, with piano composer  
Victor BS-056554 10-in. 10/12/1940 The cross on the hill Jones Brothers Trio Male vocal trio, with accordion songwriter  
Victor D9VB-0028 10-in. 1/4/1949 I've been listening in on heaven Harmoneers Quartet Male vocal quartet songwriter  
Columbia W142074 10-in. 4/21/1926 Is it well with your soul? Jack Pickell Male vocal solo, with piano composer  
(Results 1-25 of 46 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Stamps, Virgil O.," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/108407.

Stamps, Virgil O.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/108407.

"Stamps, Virgil O.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/108407

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