Just a Closer Walk with Thee was probably the favorite southern gospel song of the twentieth century, yet no one knows who wrote it or when it was written. It’s history most likely goes back to an unknown writer in the slave fields of the South before the Civil War. Southern black church choirs kept the hymn alive until World War II.
The first known recording of this song was by the Selah Jubilee Singers on October 8, 1941, Decca Records 7872, New York City. By the end of the 1970s, more than a hundred artists had recorded this humble prayer.
The beautiful duet by Willie Nelson and Patsy Kline can be found on the album entitled That Good Old Gospel Music, Vol. 2, released in 2007.
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Sources: The Complete Book of Hymns + James Minchin + History In Ink