The spiritual is found in the book: "Fifty-eight Spirituals for Choral Use" written by Harvey Worthington Loomis and edited by Hollis Dann.
Published in 1924 by C. Birchard Co in Boston
The title in this book is "Open Door".
In 1930 the song was published in the book "Green Pastures Spirituals".
In this book the song was titled "My God Is So High", arranged by Hall Johnson.
His Choir also sings his spiritual settings in 1930 in the musical The Green Pastures (popular Bible stories retold with an all Black cast) on Broadway.
These early choir books generally identify the number as "traditional", which would mean the song is much older.
And indeed the song is mentioned in 1909 in Howard Odum's book "Religious folk-songs of the Southern Negroes".
Other versions are titled "Heaven So High", "My Lord Is So High" or "You Must Come In Through The Lamb".
The first recording of this traditional spiritual I could find is:
(o) Bethel Jubilee Quartet (1923) (is in fact TheWiseman Quartet)
Rev. T. H. Wiseman/ A. C. Brogdon / H. S. Allen / J. C. Eubanks
Recorded July 11, 1923 in Camden New Jersey.
Released on Victor 19119
Listen here:
Also recorded by the same group in July 1923 and released on Rainbow 1095 (as the Wiseman Quartet)
Listen here:
(c) Sunset Four Jubilee Quartette (1924) (as "You Must Come In At The Door")
Recorded April 1925 in Chicago
Released on Paramount 12314
Listen here:
(c) St. Mark's Chanters (1926) (as "So High")
Recorded April 13, 1926 in New Orleans, La.
Released on Columbia 14198-D
Listen here:
(c) Belt Sacred Quartet (1929) (as "My Lord Is On High")
Recorded October 16, 1929 in Dallas, Texas
Released on Victor 38587
Listen here:
(c) Heavenly Gospel Singers (1938) (as "So High I Can't Get Over")
Recorded January 26, 1938 in Charlotte, N.C.
Released on Bluebird 7486 and Montgomery Ward 8556
Listen here:
(c) The Golden Gate Quartet (1947) (as "High, Low and Wide")
Recorded in April 8, 1947
Released on Columbia 37499
Listen here:
(c) Inez Matthews (1953) (as "You Mus' Come In By An' Thro' De Lamb")
Inez Matthews, mezzo soprano
Jonathan Brice, piano
Listen here:
(c) LaVern Baker (1959) (as "So High, So Low")
LaVern Baker With Chuck Sagle's Orchestra
2 unknown (tp) Budd Johnson (ts, bars) unknown (p) Mickey Baker, Bill Suyker (g) Milt Hinton (b) Sticks Evans (d) LaVern Baker (vo) unknown (vocal group) Chuck Sagle (arr, dir)
Recorded May 14, 1959 in New York City
Released on Atlantic 45-2033
Listen here:
(c) Jimmy Jones and The Sensationals
(1962) (as "So High")
Recorded January 30, 1962
Released on Savoy 4234
And on the album "Sensationals" (Savoy MG 14057)
The version by Jimmy Jones and the Sensationals is most likely the one that influenced Elvis Presley to record the song a few years later.
Listen to the Jimmy Jones version here:
(c) Kingston Trio (1964) (as "So Hi")
(An adaptation by Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane and John Stewart of the old spiritual "Heaven Is So High").
Recorded March 23/31 1964 live in The Hungry I in San Francisco, CA
Kingston Trio (John Stewart [vcl/gt/banjo], Nick Reynolds [vcl/gt], Bob Shane [vcl/gt]
+ Glen Campbell [gt], Dean Reilly [bass]. Producer: Voyle Gilmore)
Listen here:
"So High, So Low" is closely related in tune to "Rock My Soul", which probably began as a negro spiritual, published as early as 1863 in Slave Songs of the United States.
In 1965 Peter, Paul & Mary combined the 2 songs as "Oh, Rock My Soul"
Listen here:
Elvis Presley sang both versions: "So High" in 1966 and "Rock My Soul" (as "Bosom of abraham") in 1971.
(c) Elvis Presley (1966) (as "So High")
Recorded May 27, 1966 in Nashville, TN
Listen here:
(c) Elvis Presley (1971) (as "Bosom of Abraham")
Listen here:
Here's the oldest version of "Rock My Soul" I could find:
(o) Heavenly Gospel Singers (1937) (as "Rock My Soul")
Recorded August 4, 1937 in Charlotte, NC
Released on Bluebird B-7177
Listen here:
Bur already in 1929 an instrumental version of "Rock My Soul" was recorded by pianist Frank Melrose
(o) Frank Melrose (under the pseudonym Broadway Rastus) (1929)
Recorded March 1929 in Chicago, IL
Released on Paramount 12764
Listen here:
More versions here:
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