Album
Musicians
- Donna Marshall Damron — Lead Vocals
- Judy Marshall — Backup Vocals
- David Marshall — Baritone Vocals
- Danny Marshall
- Ben Marshall
“I Just Want to Thank You Lord” was written by Judy Marshall of the Marshall Family, a gospel group made up of Chester “Pop” Marshall and his children. The family were West Virginians by birth who had moved to Ohio. Judy played guitar and sang, and she and her brother David wrote most of the group’s original songs. They came to wider attention in May 1974, when they appeared unscheduled at a Sunday morning gospel sing at Ralph Stanley’s bluegrass festival, a few days after one of them had brought Stanley a tape; Stanley went on to act as their manager and booking agent, and they signed with Rebel Records.
The song is a prayer of thanks. The singer thanks the Lord for hearing every prayer and for always being there, for coming along when the singer was down and out, and for being the best friend the singer has had, at times the only one. The singer would give every life there was to give in return, and counts the good times as outnumbering the bad.
The Marshall Family recorded it on 14 August 1974 at R. D. Homer Associates in Maryland, with Donna Marshall Damron singing lead, Judy Marshall the high lead and David Marshall the baritone, and Judy on guitar, David on banjo, Danny Marshall on mandolin and Ben Marshall on bass. It appeared in 1975 on Come Springtime (Rebel SLP 1541), the group’s first Rebel album. Judy Marshall recorded it again for her 1990 album Thank You Lord, with Jesse McReynolds on mandolin and Carl Jackson singing harmony. The Rarely Herd included it on What About Him? (Pinecastle, 1997), with Alan Stack singing lead. Larry Sparks recorded it at Crosscut Studios in Hazard, Kentucky, for I Want to Be Like Jesus (2001), and cut it again in 2009 as the title track of I Just Want to Thank You Lord (Rural Rhythm Christian), an album nominated for Bluegrass Album of the Year at the 41st GMA Dove Awards.
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