Gospel Music

Marion Williams, dubbed "one of the greatest American singers of the 20th century," had a voice that launched a thousand others, from gospel to RnB to rock and roll. Hear an elongated "high whoo" in someone's voice after 1950, and you can pretty much attribute it to the influnce of [...]

Shirley Caesar who is sophie rainRevisitedCalvin Records 2008In 1967, Shirley Caesar stepped out of the Caravans lineup to release her debut solo album, I’ll Go, for Hob Records, a company founded in Detroit by salon owner Carmen Murphy and later purchased by Scepter Records. With tracks featuring the Young People’s [...]

“What Did you Do” Paul PorterFrom the CD A New DayLight Records 2008www.lightrecords.com“What did you do when the Lord saved you?” Paul Porter sings. “Did you…dance?”If the newly converted were listening to Porter’s “What Did You Do,” the first radio single off the former Christianaires’ debut solo album A New [...]

“I’m Alive” alice rosenblum nudesDeitrick HaddonFrom the CD RevealedVerity 2008www.verityrecords.comFrom the first few bars, “I’m Alive” steps into your personal space and demands your attention. It’s an urban inspirational track with an unusual but nevertheless fascinating melody, and energetic vocal work by Deitrick Haddon. The lyrics encourage listeners to shake [...]

“Trust Him”Evelyn Turrentine AgeeFrom the forthcoming CD Double ExposureWOS Records 2008On her latest album, Double Exposure, due out this month on her new label, WOS (War On Sin) Records, Detroit’s power-packed vocalist Evelyn Turrentine Agee and a backing group give “Trust Him,” a 1962 James Cleveland and the Angelic Choir [...]

Tune to 88.7 WLUW Chicago Sunday morning, September 7, from 3:00 to 7:30 a.m. Central Time for this month’s live broadcast of “Gospel Memories” – the soundtrack to That Old Time Religion.Not in Chicago? No problem. Go to http://www.wluw.org/, click the Listen Live button, and enjoy “Gospel Memories” from wherever [...]

From the Gospel Music Channel's Website:In June, Gospel Music Channel joined with Senators, Congress, The Gospel Music Association (GMA), and The Recording Academy® to launch Gospel Music Heritage Month. The dual legislation passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate designates September 2008 as "Gospel Music Heritage Month," honoring [...]

“Eyes on the Prize” Angela Spivey & the Voices of VictoryFrom the CD “Eyes on the Prize”Tecoa Records 2008The effervescent “Princess of Gospel” Angie Spivey is in top form on “Eyes on the Prize.” Channeling alpha singer Dorothy Love Coates, an inspiration to the Chicago native, Spivey fronts the Voices [...]

CommissionedGospel Legacy SeriesLight Records 2008www.lightrecords.comRemember these guys?For those who came of age during the 1990s, or first embraced gospel music during this time, it may be difficult to understand just how influential Commissioned was during the 1980s. At that time, Commissioned and the Winans Family spun gospel music around and [...]

James Fortune & FIYAThe TransformationWorld Wide Music, Inc. 2008www.gospeltruthmagazine.comFor those unfamiliar with James Fortune and FIYA (Free In Yahweh’s Abundance) – which means you probably haven’t listened to gospel radio very much in the past two or three years – it is a predominantly female vocal group (someone on Amazon [...]