Gospel Music

One of the most resonating forms of music originating from the United States is that of Gospel Music.

It has its roots in the very fabric of the culture and crosses several cultural and racial lines which still carries on to this day. It is a multimillion dollar industry and can be found on the radio airwaves constantly as well as newer audiences thanks to the digital revolution.

Gospel has been recorded by both traditional artists as well as popular musicians from around the world who are renowned for other genres of music. Gospel has been credited for building the foundation of such popular genres as the Blues, Rock and Roll, Bluegrass, Country, and more. Many of the most popular musicians in the US got their start by performing Gospel Music. From there they either stayed withing the genre or moved on to other forms of expression but the tones and heartfelt power of Gospel Music can easily be found in their music.

Many Gospel Musicians go on to world renown status commanding tens of thousands of fans at their concerts and generating millions of dollars. From the backroad churches to the likes of Carnegie Hall, you'll find that Gospel Music is a favorite and continues to grow as new fans are born and old fans return.

Gospel Music rose from the churches that sang not only hymns but compositions in the New World that hoped to gather and expand the faithful. As the Christian spiritual movement continued to spread across the North American continent, the preachers and ministers found that music brought the congregations together and led to greater harmony and kinship amongst their flocks. Congregations had to meet new challenges in the strange world of North America and those challenges would be sung about by the people and those songs inspired more compositions to mirror the often harsh struggle to survive. In the unique structure of North American Gospel music, you'll hear the lyrics talking about not only new animals and landscapes but new technologies from trains to planes and more. Traditional hymns more or less spoke of the world of the Apostles and those in the Holy Bible, the metaphors and idioms reflective of those ancient cultures. Gospel however continued to add new to the old and the most successful Gospel incorporated the modern world's constant changes and melded them with the triumphs and tribulations of old.

Primarily with all Gospel music, the point is to raise the spirits of the people in praise to God and Christ. To affirm one's faith in both songs of challenge and joy. One of the most appealing point of Gospel is that it has a rhythm to it, something people would bounce or rock their babies in their arms to while singing. Choruses and stanzas that the simple could follow and sing along with. Gospel now ranges from such a variety as classical to rock and roll and even other genres that utilize the basics of the Gospel model to stand on. One will often find familiar Gospel songs translated into other languages for those apostates that dwell in other lands.

These variations on Gospel music have their quantifiable roots in the fact that the genre had so much infusion and growth by the rural folks of the US, especially the African American peoples who mixed their cultural recipes of song and dance and instrumentation that truly raised the genre into the popular spotlight. The African American, Native American, European American rural folks often didn't have instruments as they were expensive. However, as Gospel music grew, the groups brought in every type of instrument they could from guitars, to drums, brass, and bells. When possible a piano or organ was purchased via church funds or donations and that's when Gospel got even further notice as the exhibitions of the songs became regular entertainment during Christian get-togethers and the legendary Revival Meetings where sometimes hundreds of devotees would show up to be baptized, sing and dance, and give praise to the Holy Spirit. Of most note, Gospel is primarily categorized by the boisterous vocals that has sent many of its singers to international stardom.

Yes, the singing, the loud, high ranging singing which when done right stands on its own, is the hallmark of Gospel music as you don't need instruments to carry it along. Such greats as Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson, Sarah Vaughn, Elvis Presley, James Brown, Bonnie Rait and hundreds of other legendary singers got their start in Gospel music and garnered numerous awards, inspired millions to pursue the church and entertainment due to their Gospel training.

Let it be said that Gospel Music is one of, if not the biggest of influences on just about every genre of American Music. Of this there is no doubt. One need only take a look at the legendary Thomas A. Dorsey who established one of the first publishing houses for Gospel that introduced and expanded the African American Gospel tradition back in the early 1930s. Others would follow with productions and publishing for the new millennium that now encompasses the computer revolution. As a matter of fact, more people are listening to Gospel now than ever throughout the past 150 years or so. It's truly amazing to see people with their digital music players listening to the great Gospel hits and watching videos while riding the bus or just sitting around in the park enjoy a sunny day.

The Gospel industry isn't without it's controversies as any major multimillion dollar entertainment industry is, however the true purpose of Gospel music isn't in how much money it makes, it is in how many people it brings to the worship of God and acknowledgment of Christ's sacrifice and life and ministry. Nothing can keep some good Gospel down and the fact that the genre is still alive and expanding with greater vigor than ever is something that proves without a doubt it is a form of music that has that Holy Spirit with it.

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