Rev. Johnny L. “Hurricane” Jones: The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta

A storm of sound straight from the pulpit.

The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta presents over two hours of electrifying sermons, songs, and church services by Rev. Johnny L. “Hurricane” Jones — a force of nature whose voice and presence shook Atlanta’s pulpits and airwaves for decades. Culled from more than 1,000 reel-to-reel tapes recorded from the late 1950s onward, these performances document the sound of a preacher who was as much musician as minister.

What’s Included

• Two and a half hours of never-before-released audio recordings from Rev. Jones’s private tape archive (downloadable in high-quality formats)
• Fiery sermons, ecstatic gospel songs, and radio show excerpts recorded between the 1950s and 1970s
• Essay by Dust-to-Digital founder Lance Ledbetter providing context and history

Praise & Reviews

“A hurricane is a force of nature with which to be reckoned, unapologetic, a mighty storm in force, speed, and effect. These descriptors hold true for Reverend Johnny L. Jones, nicknamed ‘Hurricane’ because of his larger than life delivery of the word of God.”

— Kevin Coultas, Other Music

“The cultural and historical importance of the Dust-to-Digital imprint remains to be covered widely. What the label works towards is documenting musicians that have impacted their immediate surroundings, but perhaps not the culture at large. A case in point is Rev. Johnny L. ‘Hurricane’ Jones.”

— URB

“Cole Alexander of the Black Lips remembers the time in 2003 when he first heard Jesus Is in Town. Bradford [Cox] from Deerhunter made me a cassette tape of it. I think he found it in a Marietta thrift store... Eventually, Alexander put Jones in touch with Lance Ledbetter, founder of Dust-to-Digital.”

— Creative Loafing

Highlights

• First release of more than two hours of Hurricane Jones’s sermons, songs, and radio shows, recorded on reel-to-reel tapes from his Atlanta ministry
• Rev. Jones earned his nickname from Atlanta DJ Esmond Patterson, who likened his escalating preaching style to a storm gathering force and speed
• Recordings reflect the raw, ecstatic spirit of the Black church experience in Atlanta across seven decades
• Jewel Records released Jones’ last commercial album in 1978 — this set makes available, for the very first time, the vast archive he created for his own radio ministry