newcomer singers, including those outside the South, and can be considered one of the factors responsible for the extensive geographic spread of Sacred Harp singing in recent decades. Bealle notes that during the mid to late 1970s, McGraw repeatedly urged newcomer singers to adopt the traditional forms of the Southern singing convention, including the hollow square seating arrangement, rotating leading of songs, singing of the note names before the stanzas, dinner on the grounds, and public prayer. McGraw's efforts were successful, and with time Sacred Harp singing outside the South evolved from a kind of artificially-cultivated folk music performance into a more natural and spontaneous experience, in which procedure and performance practice are determined by well-established custom. Notes References Bealle, John (1997) Public Worship, Private Faith: Sacred Harp and American Folksong Cobb, Buell E. (2001) The Sacred Harp: A Tradition and Its Music. University of Georgia Press. Miller, Kiri (2004) "First Sing the Notes": Oral and Written Traditions in Sacred Harp Transmission. American Music 22: 475-501. Narrates a 1985 encounter in which McGraw strongly influenced a neophyte group of Illinois singers. Available on JSTOR. Sacred Harp 2017 deaths 1931 births Musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Bremen, Georgia People from Villa Rica, Georgia National Heritage Fellowship winners