Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet


Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet is a 1971 composition by Gavin Bryars based on a loop of an unknown homeless man singing a brief improvised stanza. Rich harmonies, comprising string and brass, are gradually overlaid over the stanza. The piece was first recorded for use in a documentary which chronicles street life in and around Elephant and Castle and Waterloo, in London. When later listening to the recordings, Bryars noticed the clip was in tune with his piano and that it conveniently looped into 13 bars. For the first LP recording, he was limited to a duration of 25 minutes; later he completed a 60-minute version of the piece for cassette tape; and with the advent of the CD, a 74-minute version. It was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize.
Bryars says:

Versions

The original 25-minute version of the piece was first performed at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in December 1972, and recorded for Brian Eno's Obscure label in 1975. In 1990 the Gavin Bryars ensemble recorded a 60-minute version, in a restored water-tower in Bourges, France, for Les Disques du Crepuscule. A 74-minute version was recorded in 1993 for the Point label with Tom Waits singing along with the original recording of the man who was homeless during the later sections. In 2019 Gavin Bryars released a live 25-minute version with his ensemble, which included all four of his children, on GB Records
In 1981, choreographer Maguy Marin used the piece as the score for her Beckett-inspired work May B.
In 1993, William Forsythe used the piece as the score for his 25-minute work Quintett for the Frankfurt Ballet. The piece has subsequently been performed by several other dance companies.
In 2003, Christian band Jars of Clay covered it on their sixth full-length studio album Who We Are Instead on Essential Records.
In 2006, Art of Time Ensemble released a 16-minute version on their debut album Live In Toronto.
In 2011, The Music Tapes performed a cover of this song using Bryars' original tape sample for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.
In April 2019, a 12-hour overnight version was performed in London's Tate Modern art gallery, directed by Gavin Bryars. Performers included two groups of homeless people, together with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Southbank Sinfonia, and Bryars' own ensemble.