Gospel Music

My Father’s WorkDr. C.J. JohnsonMeltone 2007In March of 1965, Dr. C.J. Johnson recorded an original song, “I Want to Go Where Jesus Is,” for Savoy Records. Sung a cappella and with thunderous enthusiasm by a jubilant congregation, the sound was so raw and primitive that one might have assumed it [...]

“Nobody but the Lord”Alvin Darling & CelebrationFrom the new release My Blessing is on the WayEmtro Gospel 2007www.emtro.comAlvin Darling’s enviable music resume includes a Pentecostal upbringing and time spent as a member of a gospel quartet. He digs deep into both experiences on “Nobody But the Lord,” the first single [...]

House of Gospel AnthologyThe 80s, Volume 1Light Records 2007Light Records has been busy these past few years digging through catalogs – its own and others’ – for gospel classics to reissue. The current concept, “House of Gospel Anthologies,” is its most ingenious yet. If the first installment, a focus on [...]

Before he became the “Father of Gospel Music,” Thomas A. Dorsey was an accomplished blues pianist and vocalist. His solo work; collaborations with Tampa Red, Jane Lucas, and others; and accompaniment of blues diva Ma Rainey were captured on disc by a variety of labels, including Richmond, Indiana’s famed Gennett [...]

The Black Gospel Collector's Forum reported that Barney Parks, an original member of the Dixie Hummingbirds and organizer of the Sensational Nightingales, passed away Saturday, February 24 in Durham, North Carolina.Parks is in the back, second from right, in this 1942 photo of the Dixie Hummingbirds published in the Philadelphia [...]

Anthony Heilbut reported to TBGB that gospel artist and composer Calvin White died two weeks ago in New York. White was approximately 70 years old.The name of Calvin White is not well known in gospel circles anymore but that's a shame, considering his contributions to gospel music. As Heilbut reports, [...]

Hello, everyone -- this is your monthly reminder that Gospel Memories hits the airwaves live this Sunday, March 4 from 3:00 to 7:30 a.m. Central Time US on Chicago's 88.7 WLUW.You can listen live wherever you are at www.wluw.org. Request line is 773/508-WLUWHighlights of the March 4 Broadcast:-- In Loving [...]

Bishop Joseph W. Walker III Presents Judah GenerationLight Records 2006Junior (or youth) gospel choirs have been around since the early 1930s, when Theodore Frye organized the very first junior gospel chorus at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Chicago’s south side. As if Professor Frye didn’t provide the group with enough star [...]

From a Malaco press release, sent by D.A. Johnson:GOSPEL QUARTET LEGEND 'SLIM' OF SUPREME ANGELS PASSES AWAYJackson, MS. February 25, 2007 - Sunday, February 25, 2007, gospel music lost one of its own, Howard Hunt, aka 'Slim' of Slim and the Supreme Angels. Elder Hunt was the Pastor at the [...]

If you were among those who applauded Chicago's Jennifer Hudson after her Oscar-winning, show-stopping performance of "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" in the musical Dreamgirls, you were applauding a 100 percent gospel performance with secular lyrics. Yesterday, Hudson's singing at the 79th Annual Academy Awards ceremony once again [...]