Hymn Story: Old Time Religion
The Jubilee song, “Old Time Religion” has a long and complicated history that’s not very clear.
Whether it originated as an English folk song or a spiritual is up for debate. It is believed that it dates back to at least 1873 or earlier.
Charles Davis Tillman published the song after hearing it performed by African-Americans at a camp meeting in Lexington, South Carolina in 1889.