Archived Site: Jonestown Survivor

Information Concerning this Archived Site

Source: https://jonestownsurvivor.com (Inactive)

This is the archive of a large website of articles and blogs published in conjunction with the book, Jonestown Survivor: An Insider’s Look. The book and all the material in this archive were written by Laura Johnston Kohl, a member of Peoples Temple who survived the tragedy in Jonestown by being in Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown on 18 November 1978.

Following the twentieth anniversary of the Jonestown tragedy, Ms. Johnston Kohl became a prolific writer and active public speaker, work she continued to do until shortly before her death on 19 November 2019. She also made herself available to family members of those who perished in Guyana and scholars who try to understand the calamity of the ending. Finally, she was a generous contributor of articles and remembrances for the Alternative Considerations site, all of which may be found here.

In the interest of preserving the information from her site for future generations of Jonestown scholars and researchers, the managers of this site obtained permission from Laura’s husband Ron Kohl to archive her work in its entirety. Both the archive and the book itself are published with his permission.

Jonestown Survivor Posting about David Chiu’s Rolling Stone article

November 17, 2018

David Chiu wrote a wonderful article about the Peoples Temple choir. Here is the link:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/jonestown-jim-jones-peoples-temple-choir-gospel-album-746873/?fbclid=IwAR0duzKWorHv6UOm2mwEVixGu-agACUjYf0maMkuhD3hGMLj9MehC3_V5g0

‘He’s Able’: Inside the Jonestown Cult’s Forgotten Gospel Album

In 1973, Jim Jones’ followers released their own private-press LP. Survivors recount how it came about — and the unthinkable tragedy that would take the lives of many of the participants

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Peoples Temple members singing in pavilion, Jonestown, Guyana, circa 1977-1978 (l to r, front row) unidentified, Erin Leroy, Shirley Baisey, Laura Johnston, (r, back row) Anita James

Surviving members of the Peoples Temple Choir recount the joyous creation of their private-press gospel LP and the tragedy that followed.

California Historical Society, PC 010.08.0912

Serial killers’ personal effects, morticians’ instruments, human and animal skulls, autopsy photos of John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe, an electric chair, gruesome crime scene images — L.A.’s Museum of Death houses it all.

One particular gallery, dubbed the Suicide Hall, displays memorabilia related to the American cult groups the Branch Davidians and Heaven’s Gate. In addition to an actual bunk bed where the bodies of Heaven’s Gate members were found covered in sheets, the room features a glass-encased mini exhibit about the Jonestown tragedy, in which more than 900 people, followers of the California-based religious group Peoples Temple led by the Rev. Jim Jones, died in a mass murder-suicide in Guyana on November 18th, 1978. Inside are news clippings, paperback books published shortly after the tragedy and even a business card that once belonged to Jones when he was the San Francisco Housing Authority commissioner.

 

 

The most curious piece of Jonestown-related memorabilia, though, is located just underneath the case: a framed copy of He’s Able, a 1973 gospel-pop-funk record by the Peoples Temple Choir, autographed by a former member of the church’s band. The cover photograph features Temple choir members dressed in blue uniforms standing over a pond in Golden Gate Park — a peaceful scene that contrasts starkly with the horrific images of dead bodies in Jonestown the world saw in the aftermath of the 1978 tragedy. The sleeve features black-and-white photos of Jim Jones and his followers, and an inscription on the back cover reads: “Our choir consists of people from all walks of life. We are dedicated to one common cause — making the humanistic teachings of Jesus Christ part of our daily lives. Our inspiration is a lifestyle demonstrated by our pastor, James W. Jones.”

There’s a bizarre coincidence associated with the Jonestown display at the Museum of Death. The building where the museum is located was formerly home to the Producer’s Workshop, a recording studio where work on such classic albums as Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Steely Dan’s Aja and Pink Floyd’s The Wall took place. It was also at this same facility that He’s Able was produced over the span of a couple of weekends in 1972. As Brian Kevin, who published a master’s thesis about the record in 2010, wrote about the album: “It’s a 12-song collection, a mix of old spirituals, gospel-inspired originals, and a couple of late-’60s Top 40 hits, all performed by a full choir and an eight-piece blue-eyed soul outfit with a hot brass section.”

 

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