Gospel music is a traditional type of Christian music and an important part of Christian media. It is known for strong vocal singing, often with harmonies, and lyrics that share Christian beliefs and values. How gospel music is created, performed, and understood can change based on culture and the time period. People make and play gospel music for many reasons, such as for enjoyment, religious events, or to entertain audiences. Gospel music has been around since the early 1700s.
Hymns and sacred songs were often sung in a call-and-response style, influenced by African music traditions. Many churches used hand clapping and foot stomping to create rhythm. Most singing was done without musical instruments, called a cappella. The term "gospel song" was first used in a published work in 1874.
Early gospel songs were written by composers like George F. Root, Philip Bliss, Charles H. Gabriel, William Howard Doane, and Fanny Crosby. Companies that published gospel music began to appear. The invention of radio in the 1920s helped more people hear gospel music. After World War II, gospel music performances moved to large venues, and concerts became more elaborate.
Black gospel and Southern gospel music have helped keep gospel music alive in modern Christian music. Soul music is the most well-known type of gospel music today. These styles came from African-American and American folk music traditions and have changed over time. They remain important in Black church worship and are used in many other church traditions, especially in Pentecostalism. Thomas Dorsey helped popularize gospel choirs, making gospel music a worldwide form of worship. Southern Afro-American gospel groups often used male quartets with tenor, lead, baritone, and bass singers. Famous gospel groups included the Sensational Nightingales, the Soul Stirrers, the Swan Silvertones, and the Dixie Hummingbirds.
Christian country music, also called country gospel music, is a type of gospel music that uses country music styles. Famous performers included Grandpa Jones, Webb Pierce, Porter Wagoner, and the Oak Ridge Boys. British black gospel refers to gospel music made by African descendants in the United Kingdom.
History
According to Willie Ruff, a music professor at Yale University, the way Presbyterians in the Scottish Hebrides sang psalms in Scottish Gaelic changed over time. It started with "lining out," where one person sang alone and others followed, and later became the call-and-response style found in gospel music of the American South.
In the 1760s and 1770s, English writers John Newton ("Amazing Grace") and Augustus Toplady ("Rock of Ages") created some of the most famous gospel-based hymns. They were members of the Anglican Church. At first, these hymns had only words, and it took many years for music to be added. Though not directly connected to African-American gospel music, these hymns were adopted by both African Americans and white Americans. John Newton's work with the abolition movement helped spread these songs further.
The term "Gospel song" was first used in print in 1874 when Philip Bliss published a songbook called Gospel Songs: A Choice Collection of Hymns and Tunes. This term described a new type of church music that was easier to sing than traditional hymns. This style became popular during the mass revival movement led by Dwight L. Moody and his musician, Ira D. Sankey. Before Moody and Sankey worked together in 1870, there were songs from rural and frontier revivals, but gospel hymns were different and suited the needs of city revivals.
The revival movement used popular singers and song leaders, with Ira D. Sankey being the most famous. Early gospel songs were written by authors like George F. Root, Philip Bliss, Charles H. Gabriel, William Howard Doane, and Fanny Crosby. Philip Bliss and Ira D. Sankey later published six volumes of Gospel Hymns in 1875. These collections are still found in many libraries today.
As gospel music became more popular, rural churches accepted it even though it had first been used in city revivals. This led to the creation of gospel music publishing houses in the late 1800s and early 1900s by people like Homer Rodeheaver, E. O. Excell, Charlie Tillman, and Charles Tindley. These publishers helped many songwriters share their work.
The invention of radio in the 1920s made gospel music reach more people. James D. Vaughan used radio to promote his gospel music books and traveling quartets. Virgil O. Stamps and Jesse R. Baxter studied Vaughan’s methods and became his competitors by the late 1920s. In the 1920s, groups like the Carter Family also began recording gospel songs.
The Pentecostal movement helped spread gospel music to churches that did not follow European-style Black church music. These churches adopted and contributed to early 20th-century gospel music. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a pioneer of rock and roll, became the first great gospel recording artist. Arizona Dranes was the first person to play piano on a gospel recording and to introduce ragtime to gospel music.
In the 1930s, Black gospel quartets like the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama became popular. Many Black gospel musicians also performed in Southern cities, often playing guitar and singing in the streets.
In the 1930s, Thomas A. Dorsey started a publishing house and is often called the father of traditional Black gospel music. In 1930, the National Baptist Convention publicly supported gospel music for the first time. Dorsey helped develop the careers of artists like Mahalia Jackson, who sang his famous song "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."
Radio continued to spread gospel music, as shown in Albert E. Brumley’s 1937 song "Turn Your Radio On," which is still used in gospel songbooks. The Soul Stirrers helped launch the careers of R.H. Harris, Sam Cooke, and Johnnie Taylor. Other popular groups included the Sensational Nightingales, Swan Silvertones, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, and the Dixie Hummingbirds.
In 1964, the Gospel Music Association was formed. It started the Dove Awards in 1969 and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1972. These honors first focused on Southern gospel performers but later included artists from other styles, bringing in many Black musicians. Artists like James Cleveland and Aretha Franklin performed traditional gospel music. In 1969, James Cleveland created the Gospel Music Workshop of America, a Black gospel organization.
In the late 20th century, musicians like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Blackwood Brothers were known for their gospel influences.
Urban contemporary gospel music began in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ song "Oh Happy Day" (1969), which is still performed today. Artists like Andraé Crouch and the Clark Sisters followed. Later, artists such as Yolanda Adams and Kirk Franklin blended gospel with secular music. Today, most Black gospel artists focus on urban contemporary styles.
Christian rap and hip-hop, a subgenre of urban contemporary gospel, became popular with groups like the Gospel Gangstaz and The Cross Movement. Reach Records, a label known for commercial success, includes artists like Lecrae, who has charted on the Billboard 200.
Subgenres
Traditional Black gospel music is the most widely recognized type of gospel music. It is commonly performed in Black churches, non-Black Pentecostal and evangelical churches, and in entertainment venues around the world. This music originated in the Southeastern United States, where most Black Americans lived before the Great Migration. It was strongly influenced by spirituals and hymns from Watts, as well as the musical style of Thomas Dorsey. Initially, northern Black churches were not familiar with Dorsey’s music, as they preferred styles with European influences. However, as Southern migrants established new churches that became more popular, gospel music, gospel choirs, and the use of this music in Black churches grew in popularity. Thomas Dorsey, Whitney Houston, Mahalia Jackson, the Mississippi Mass Choir, and the Georgia Mass Choir are some well-known examples of gospel musicians.
Urban Contemporary gospel music developed by blending traditional Black gospel with secular Black music styles that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. This style uses rhythms and instruments common in modern secular music, such as electronic beats, while still including themes and traditions from traditional Black gospel.
British Black gospel, also called "UK gospel," refers to gospel music created by members of the African and Caribbean diaspora in the United Kingdom. This genre is influenced by UK street culture and features artists from majority Black churches in the UK. It has gained recognition through awards like the GEM Awards, MOBO Awards, and the Urban Music Awards, and it has its own Official Christian & Gospel Albums Chart.
Southern gospel music comes from the Southeastern United States and sounds similar to Christian country music. It is sometimes called "quartet music" because of its traditional setup of four men singing with a piano. While Southern gospel has mostly been performed by White musicians, it began to include Black gospel influences in the 1960s. Over time, it has become popular across the United States and internationally, especially among baby boomers and people living in the South. The meaning and style of Southern gospel can change based on cultural and social factors.
Christian country music, also known as country gospel or inspirational country, is a subgenre of gospel music with a country music style. Artists like Webb Pierce, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Grandpa Jones recorded Christian country music. Over time, this music evolved to sound more like mainstream country music with positive or inspirational lyrics. In the mid-1990s, Christian country music reached its highest level of popularity. During this time, mainstream artists such as Larry Gatlin, Charlie Daniels, and Barbara Mandrell began creating music with a Christian country style. These artists now win awards in this genre.
Comparison to other hymnody
Some supporters of traditional hymns often disagree with gospel music from the late 1800s and early 1900s, believing it focuses more on emotions than religious teachings. For example, Patrick and Sydnor argued that the popularity of this music led to more songs being created, but they claimed this caused a decline in quality, even though the original standard was already not very high. They added that using these types of hymns and tunes led to a loss of good taste, making people value simple or exciting things more than the dignity and beauty that should be part of worship songs.
In 1958, Gold studied this issue and gathered similar complaints from others. However, he also included a quote that said, "Gospel hymns are a special part of American Christian music and are valid in their inspiration and use."
Today, with more time and perspective, many religious groups are more willing to include these gospel songs in their official hymnbooks. For example, the United Methodist Church clearly showed this change in The Faith We Sing, a 2000 addition to their official hymnal. In the introduction, the editors wrote, "Experience has shown that some older hymns were left out when the current hymnals were created."