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E. J. King

Short Name: E. J. King
Full Name: King, E. J. (Elisha J.), ca. 1821-1844
Birth Year: 1821
Death Year: 1844

Elisha J. King was the co-compiler (with B. F. White) of the fasola shape note tunebook The Sacred Harp, but died shortly after the volume was published.

Wikipedia Biography

Elisha James King (1821-1844) was, with B. F. White, the compiler of The Sacred Harp, a shape note hymnbook that came to be used widely in the rural South. In revised form, the book continues to be popular among singers to this day. Little is known about King's short life. Steel (2010) suggests that he mostly likely was born in Wilkinson County, Georgia; his parents were named John King and Elizabeth Dubose. The family moved in 1828 to Talbot County. E. J. King worked as a farmer and also taught singing to others. The Sacred Harp was first published in 1844; King died 31 August of the same year.

Data Sources

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