From a press release (NOTE: JGM's Bob Marovich appears in the film): How They Got Over tells the story of how Black gospel quartet music became a primary source of what would be known as rock and roll, and in the process helped to break down racial walls in mid-twentieth [...]
Various ArtistsSacred Soul of North CarolinaMusic Maker Foundation / Bible & Tire (release date: October 15, 2021)https://biglegalmessrecords.com/collections/bible-tire By Robert M. Marovich Just before the pandemic shut down the world, Alice Vines of the Glorifying Vines Sisters of Farmville, North Carolina (crate diggers will know their singles on Pinewood and Sound [...]
“There Will Be a Light Again” Kali Joy From the CD Real Life (release date: September 24, 2021) www.kalijoy.com By Robert M. Marovich Christian singer Kali Joy’s “There Will Be a Light Again” may not be the single from her album Real Life, but it certainly ought to be. It’s [...]
By Nicole McCraySpecial Feature - Journal of Gospel Music www.nicolemccray.com Most people associate the piano with worship music, and it seems to have been that way for many years. However, prior to piano, the organ was the primary instrument in a house of worship. In looking at the history and [...]
Christina Bell Still Faithful Malaco Music Group (release date: July 30, 2021) www.malaco.com By Robert M. Marovich There's no place like home. So that's just where Christina Bell went, to her hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, to record a live worship service and package it as Still Faithful. Bell’s star has [...]
For Immediate Release (Houston, Texas) The music community is mourning the loss of a Gospel music legend with the passing of Shawn McLemore after an extended illness. "Shawn was a great spirit with enormous talent and personality to match", says Blacksmoke Music Worldwide CEO Kerry Douglas. "To see him take [...]
Johnny Ruffin Jr. I’m Gonna Praise the Lord JBP Music (release date: June 19, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich Like Keith “Wonderboy” Johnson, Johnny Ruffin Jr. of North Carolina celebrates old-school quartet singing. That's the feeling you get from his independently-released album, I’m Gonna Praise the Lord. While most songs [...]
“Tell Me Where” Darius Twyman & Destiny My-Zeal Productions/ Character Music Group LLC (release date: September 3, 2021) By Robert M. Marovich The Detroit choir Darius Twyman & Destiny telegraphs the meaning of its new single, “Tell Me Where,” when Twyman states up front that it is an old school [...]
“You Fight On” Apostle James Pinckney Jr. & Voices of Faith From The Sound of Holiness (release date: November 6, 2020) https://faithtabernaclechurchofzion.com/ By Robert M. Marovich From South Carolina, the Voices of Faith choir, under the direction of Apostle James Pinckney Jr., was one of the darlings of the 2021 [...]
“Praise Him”Mud MorganfieldDelmark Records (release date: August 20, 2021)www.delmark.com By Robert M. Marovich Although Chicago’s Delmark Records is best known for its estimable blues and jazz catalogues, there’s a sacred single in the mix, brought to you by a most surprising source: Mud Morganfield, the eldest son of electric blues [...]
