Big Blog 1 History of Gospel Music

 Music and Roots.  Title: "Soulful and Uplifting: The Power of Gospel Music"

   I

I did my musical roots on Gospel.  When I researched this genre, I noticed this name over and over again. Roots of Gospel: Gospel music's roots can be traced back to the 1930's.  The Library of Congress notes in the page titled " African American Gospel" that "During the 1930s, Gospel music emerged from the coalescing of three types of musical activity: a) the hymn style of Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) a Philadelphia minister who composed hymns based on negro spirituals, adding instrumental accompaniments, improvisation and "bluesified" third and seventh intervals; b) the minimalist, solo-sung "rural Gospel" tunes that appeared as a counterpart to the rural blues; and c) the uninhibited, exuberant worship style of the Holiness-Pentecostal branch of the Christian church." (1).  But the true Gospel that we hear today is based upon the Blues and Gospel explosion of the 1930's. 

Gospel music was originally created to promote group participation during  worship. It was considered a great communication tool because it was universal. 

  Gospel Song History

 It was not until the late 19th century that gospel music began to stand out as its own genre, (Wikipedia)  This genre of music was notable for being easier to sing than traditional church songs, while the songs were performed by popular singers who inspired people to explore this more enjoyable music they would have. 

When this became popular, new audiences embraced this music quickly.   The popularization of gospel music reached  a new audience, especially in those communities where church attendance and we have seen this during pandemic and post pandemic. The invention of wireless radio in  meant that gospel music could be heard around the world. Gospel recordings would  become commercially successful and groups such as The Carter Family


(Wikipedia)and The Fairfield Four would enjoy fame and success. At the same time, the differences between black gospel and white gospel, and the conflict that these differences often caused, were never far from the surface. 


 It wasn't until the end of  World War II that live gospel performances became popular worldwide. In 1959, the  Madison Square Garden became the home of the Negro Gospel and Religious Music Festival.  (Wikipedia )



  Even today, black gospel and white gospel are considered two different genres with separate audiences and artists. Despite this split, there are no racial motivations that lead to the split continuing today, although there is no evidence of the two genres merging into one.

Some of the most famous of each genre are here: 

Aretha Franklin :


This singer is considered one of the most influential Gospel singers of the times. She got her start in the choir of her church. Her father took her around the country, and she was  noted as a “ vocal prodigy”  This was right at the time when gospel music was starting to take hold of the country. This led to a period of time to modern day music where Gospel music has become Contemporary Christian music. This music is played in churches around the nation and world to this day.  Here is an example of an extremely popular band named “ Imagine Dragons and their song “ On Top of the World.” https://youtu.be/cxmMD5OvYRQ?si=Y-Q79bx5DwKiKXbg


Another famous song that is played in churches around the world is this song:

https://youtu.be/6FBizf7Vm_Y?si=p9IGlwi1p_VyTpwn . This band is the number one rising gospel music song of this year.  

Elvis Presley was the most popular rock and roll artist to make it big in the gospel world. His version of How Great Thou ARt is still one of the most popular songs at any church, ever. Here he is singing this hit.

https://youtu.be/I4Ci2YpH6z4?si=0hNSMECXtMWUVRWH








“African American Gospel”  Library of Congress. Obtained on 11/12/23 from 

https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/ritual-and-worship/african-american-gospel. 


Smith, Michelle “ How Great Elvis Art: A Roundup of Elvis’s Gospel Hits.”  July 22, 2022.  Taken from https://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2022/07/22/elvis-gospel-music-hits-243394. 


 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_music


Videos and images from Google images and you tube.


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