Primary Song Genres:
Culture:
Sturdivant primarily worked as a farm laborer and yard boy in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Despite having no formal musical training, he sang second tenor in a local gospel quartet. He was known for singing Black spirituals and gospel songs.
In July 1942, a team led by folklorist John W. Work III recorded Sturdivant and the Silent Grove Baptist Church Congregation singing several spirituals for the U.S. Library of Congress.
This session included the first recording of the song "Ain't No Grave" which was later recorded by Sr. Rosetta Thorpe, Bro. Claude Ely, and many blues and gospel singers as well as Johnny Cash.