The audio files below are solo performances in a span of idioms, including guitar accompanied songs. They date back over 40 years, long before digital recording. If you want to survey the recording techniques employed by MR through the aeons, there's a page devoted to that arcane subject, which should rather tell you there's a page for nearly everything on this web site. That said, the evolution from reel-to-reel and cassette recording to digital has a few interesting highlights... to those interested in the subject. It will also tell you how each era was recorded... a fact that may be of use to the recording arts aficionado,.. or if your cable is down. See "Recording Techniques" in the "More" drop-down menu... or use the button at the bottom of this page.
Go Down Moses (arr. MR): Arranged for guitar and organ. The performance was at Bryan Memorial Unit. Methodist Church in Coconut Grove, c. 1972. It is a flawed but historic recording, being one of the few in MR's early era of solo performances. It was recorded
on a professional in-the-field cassette deck, as were all the remote recordings of that day.
The Trumpet Shall Sound (G.F.Handel): Michael Roy sang this air for bass from Messiah in 1976 at the First Unit. Methodist Church of South Miami, where he was artist-in-residence. Dr. Raymond Barr is at the Allen organ. Again, not a perfect in-concert audio
file, but nevertheless, one of the only extant recordings of MR in an oratorio performance. Alas, the name of the D-trumpet player has been lost to posterity.
What Should I tell Them? (comp. & arr. MR): This song harkens back to an older idiom rarely heard in these days: the dramatic sacred solo. It resembles an art song, but with a verse-chorus structure. The song poses three questions, the first of which is the title. MR
sings and has added guitar, bass, and flute/bass flute counter-melodies. Glenda Currey is at the piano.
Covered Dish Supper (comp. & arr. MR): MR wrote this song back in the '70's, not too many years after coming off national tour with the Spurrlows, a professional evangelistic music troupe. It humorously looks back at the church dinners the troupe saw every night
of their touring days and years. Dave Ayers, also on tour and who influenced MR to become an arranger/orchestrator, used to quip, "The only good chicken is a live chicken," in that we saw a lot of chicken. MR's bane was not so much chicken but the dreaded canned ham. This song captures the glories (and bare necessities) of the church covered dish supper.
My Lord Owned the Earth - MR wrote this contemporary Christian song back in the '70's, and it has some interesting sounds.
Low Singing: This is just a bunch of basso profundo hijinks in the studio, in which MR vocalizes down to super G and F below low C. In concert, MR constantly provided low C's and B's to the vocal group sound, but these extreme notes are mostly confined to the studio just for fun.
Early American Trilogy: Jan sang this unusual solo in a Sunday morning service, Sept. 15, 1991. The three early American hymntunes in this arrangement by MR are "Holy Manna," "Amazing Grace" and "How Firm a Foundation," all three being pure pentatonic, that is, the tune never touches the fourth and seventh degrees of the scale, but holds to
the other five notes. MR accompanies Jan on the mountain dulcimer, tuned in C. There are four strings: two are fretted and usually play the melody. The other two are drone strings (C and G), which ring throughout. Diane is at the piano, adding interest to the overall sound, which is highly interesting in the cumulative effect. Jan's pure, mesmerizing alto voice has the feel of early American music, and her roots from the heartland in the middle of the Illinois' cornfields, near the Amana colonies (Quakers and Amish), give her extra credentials. Read about early American pentatonic music online:
here--> http://www.practicapoetica.com/early-american-hymns
and here --> http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/pentatonic-hymns1
Calvary Covers it All - MR came to know this old gospel song on tour with the Spurrlows during the early 60's. An alto soloist (and also the pianist), Marilyn Dunn, who has gone on before us, sang it in the special concerts called "Splendor of Sacred Song," usually held in large
auditoriums. MR would stand backstage and listen to this haunting tune with its message of salvation to the uttermost. After tour days he did this arrangement. Note: for guitarists, it's sounding in D, but MR is playing in C, capo-ed up two frets. You can read the marvelous story of the gospel song at this URL --> https://wordwisehymns.com/2013/06/19/calvary-covers-it-all/ It concerns the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, and the co-director in those bygone days, Ethyl Taylor, who wrote the song in the mission chapel, just following the conversion of a well-known singer-dancer of the '30's (Walter "Happy Mac" MacDonald). The phrase "Calvary covers it all," was said to him in response to his lament that God couldn't save someone as sinful as he was. This performance was at the Palm Sunday Concert,1995, at the Redlands Community Church. Diane is playing organ.
Good King Wenceslas - Arr. MR - This solo is to the same background track used by the Michael Roy Singers on their Christmas album: Guitars, flutes, bass, perc. and solo by MR.
I'm On My Way - Arr./Composed MR - This is an oldie (but new since nobody knows it) from the '70's. It has some good guitar work and an orchestration from Sibelius. This is a gospel folk song, and it was written as a guitar song.
In the Fullness of Time - Arr./Composed MR - Good guitar work on this .70's era gospel rock song. The lyrics, referring to the coming of Christ and the end of days, are poignant, and has the waiter and watcher of the skies praying for one more year, one more week, one more day, or one more hour. MR overdubs to the hilt.
It Ain't Gonna Happen That Way - MR will tell you about this ungrammatical title, which is also an unusual song: "I wrote this song back in the '70's to use in my and Jan's duo concerts as a amusing song, hopefully funny, but with a serious theme: all the ideas humankind has about what
lies beyond the veil. The problem with these ideas is, none of them are true, so we have to say...'It ain't gonna happen that way.' Audiences enjoyed the song so much it became part of our church concert repertoire for many years." Diane Maltby is at the organ in the background, and the year is 1994, at Sunrise Presbyterian Church.
We deemed that having the lyrics might help with this song, in that it's an unknown original, and done in patter style (a lot of words in a little time).
v. 1. A lot of people say that when you die, that's it!..there ain't no more../ just a big black bunch of nuthin' on the other
side of that door. / These people say there is no God, well the Bible says that too;../ but when th' Bible makes
that statement, it's th' quotation of a fool.
Chorus
And it ain't gonna happen that way when we get around to that day;
Well, if you think it's gonna end when you die, my friend,.. it ain't gonna happen that way.
v. 2. A lot of people think reincarnation is th' way to get around th' grave,../ and if you're coming back, you don't need
salvation,..after all which spirit gets saved? / But the' Bible says man is appointed one death, after this, th'
judgement comes;../ Lemme see now, that's...one life, one death and here come de Judge,.. two ain't never been
done.
Chorus
And it ain't gonna happen that way when we get around to that day;
Well, if you think you're comin' back as a possum or a yak,..well, it ain't gonna happen that way.
v. 3. A lot of people got a little funny idea they're gonna work their way to heaven,../ maybe by keepin' th' Ten
Commandments, or at least keep six or seven. / Now, they gotta sorta do-it-yourself salvation, and it sure is
bargain-priced;../ why they're gonna put some finishing touches on that finished work of Christ.
Chorus
But it ain't gonna happen that way when we get around to that day;
Cause, if you work your way there, well you haven't got a prayer, cause it ain't gonna happen that way.
v. 4. A lot of people say they're gonna freeze their bods when they take that final breath,../ they're gonna lie around
like a big ice cube 'til science conquers death. / But Jesus holds th' keys to death, and He gives them to th'
chosen,../ so if you're gonna trust in science, remember: many are called but few are frozen.
Chorus
And it ain't gonna happen that way when we get around to that day;
If you think you'll live forever just by freezin' your cadaver,.. well, it ain't gonna happen that way.
v. 5. But there are some who say they're gonna put their faith in the Resurrected One,../ cause when it comes to
beatin' death, that's something He's already done! They say they want a trusted name, now, when they come to
die,../ and all those others without experience,.. they need not apply.
Chorus
Cause it's gonna happen that way when we get around to that day;
Th' one who frees us from death is Jesus,.. and it's gonna happen that way.
But, if you think it's gonna end when you die, my friend,.. it ain't gonna happen that way.
And, if you think you're comin' back as a possum or a yak,..well, it ain't gonna happen that way.
And, if you work your way there, well you haven't got a prayer, cause it ain't gonna happen that way.
And if you think you'll live forever just by freezin' your cadaver,.. well, it ain't gonna happen that way.
'Cause, th' one who frees us from death is Jesus,.. and it's gonna happen that way.