A newspaper photograph of the Klaudt Indian Family of Atlanta, Georgia, advertising their July 2, 1972, performance at Evangel Park, Muir, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The performance was sponsored by the Foursquare Gospel Church of Muir. Pictured in the photo are the mother, Lillian White Corn Little Soldier, and her four sons. The father, Rev. Reinhold H. Klaudt, was a minister of the Church of God, and the four sons were a product of the marriage with Lillian, which took place in 1929, according to his obituary which appeared in the Atlanta Constitution, July 7, 2001.
By the time of this performance, Rev. Klaudt had ceased performing with the group and had taken over the role of its manager.
The Klaudt family is credited with being one of the first Gospel groups to travel around the country in their own bus.
The photo above, cropped from an album cover, shows Rev. Reinhold Klaudt (back row, center), in an Indian headdress, at a time when he was performing with the group. Klaudt was a son of German immigrants who settled in North Dakota near the Fort Berthold Reservation, and as far as is known, had no Indian ancestry. After he married Lillian, the family remained close to the reservation, but as soon as the children were old enough, Reinhold and Lillian took the family on the road, which began a more than 5-decade career which sometimes saw them doing over 400 annual bookings. They also made several individual recordings, produced several albums, and were featured in a film. There were many TV performances which helped to establish a national reputation. But they were most known for their appearances at county fairs, religious revivals, and auditoriums.
One of the unexplained things about this group is why they advertised themselves as having converted to the “white man’s God.” This expression appeared in many of their pre-performance write-ups, including the one for the 1972 performance in Muir. What they were doing by promoting themselves this way was saying that Christianity was the religion of white people. Besides, the sons were born into a family that was Christian at the start, the father being a minister of the Church of God, so there couldn’t have been a conversion. Only, Lillian could claim being converted to Christianity.
The article that appeared in the West Schuylkill Herald, June 22, 1972:
The Klaudt Indian family will appear at Evangel park (the former Muir Gun Club), as part of the fourth annual Summer Sundays Under the Stars sponsored by the Muir Foursquare Gospel Church. The Klaudt Family will begin the series of summer programs on July 2 at 7:30 p. m. Those attending should bring a lawn chair and enjoy a concert in the great out-of-doors.
The Indians, comprised of one family of dad and mom and four sons. They perform as a male quartet in a close family harmony backed by a wide variety of instruments including piano, trombone, alto and baritone saxophone and bass violin. The peak of the program is Mom Klaudt’s singing backed vocally by four sons.
The unique feature of the concert is the appearance of the Indian family on stage in colorful, authentic Indian costumes made by the members of the family.
Gospel music for the Indian family began when they were won to the white man’s God through the missionary efforts of Dr. hall on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Their music is not entertainment alone but sincere singing in a simple, professional style humbled by a real call of God. It is a labor of love based upon devotion to Christ by an entire family.
The family has traveled over 40 years through all the land to appear in 40 different denominational churches, auditoriums, and Indian fairs. They travel 100,000 miles a year in their private V8 diesel coach outfitted just like a home for restful travel on extended trips.
They have recorded 10 long playing albums in Hollywood. California Television appearances are regularly viewed on national color television shows.
“Sing Me a Song for Heaven’s Sake,” their first movie, was a gospel spectacular.
In spite of their busy schedule, the family has earned a total of seven degrees from Emory, Oglethorpe, Lee, Northern State, and the University of Georgia.
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News article and photo obtained through Newspapers.com.
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