[4] Alexander Reid, a minister at a Choctaw boarding school, heard Willis singing the songs and transcribed the words and melodies.

[5] The Jubilee Singers then popularized the songs during a tour of the United States and Europe.

"Steal Away" is a standard Gospel song, and is found in the hymnals of many Protestant denominations.

An arrangement of the song is included in the oratorio A Child of Our Time, first performed in 1944, by the classical composer Michael Tippett (1908–98).

Many recordings of the song have been made, including versions by Pat Boone[6] and Nat King Cole.