Higher Ground | Wayfaring Stranger feat. Jodie Fox

With most hymns and Gospel songs, it is easy to tell the “backstory.” We can learn who wrote the songs, when they were penned, and the stories that inspired them. But some hymns and Gospel songs just seem to have always been with us, and their history is shrouded in mists of uncertainty. “Wayfaring Stranger” is a song that has been loved and performed since at least 1858, but that’s just when it was first officially published. Some music historians believe “Wayfaring Stranger” has been around since 1816, some claim it came out of the Appalachians in the 1780s and still others trace the tune as far back as the 1600s. Even though the song’s origins are uncertain, it nonetheless has held a special place in the hearts of the American people, especially in the harder, darker times of our nation’s history. On this episode of “Higher Ground,” we shed some light on the story of this great American song of faith and feature a hauntingly beautiful performance of “Wayfaring Stranger” by Jodie Fox.
00:00 Intro
00:41 The Story of Wayfaring Stranger
06:18 Performance of Wayfaring Stranger by Jodie Fox