“What the Song Does: Field Interviews on Gospel and Religious Life in Harlem and Chicago” – Hongbai Zhu

“What work do interviewees say gospel performs in religious life, and how do they distinguish sacred ministry from style, entertainment, and commercial success?”

This was the question Hongbai Zhu (Joe), a religious studies student at Brown University, asked the Rev. Dr. Demetrius Lawrence at Mother Zion AME church in New York, church musician Charles Lavelle, St. Philip’s congregants, Maria Rodriguez (speaking through an interpreter), and me during his field research visit to Harlem and Chicago this summer. While in Chicago, Joe attended Sunday worship at the historic First Church of Deliverance to get a feel for a traditional church service.

The result is a fascinating and easy-to-navigate photographic and interview montage Joe created called “What the Song Does.” You can access it here:
https://gospel-music-field-survey.hongbai-zhu.workers.dev/