When the Church Becomes Your Party – Deborah Smith Pollard

Deborah Smith Pollard, associate professor of English literature and humanities at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, is also a successful gospel concert producer and host of a popular Sunday morning gospel show on Detroit’s FM 98 WJLB.

Add “author” to her list of accolades.

When the Church Becomes Your Party is Pollard’s behind-the-scenes look at contemporary gospel music, the first book (to my knowledge) to focus its lens exclusively on the multi-faceted gospel scene of today.

According to the press release, “Although the flashy clothing, informal language, and elaborate stage presentation found in some of the newest gospel music may surprise some worshippers, author Deborah Smith Pollard argues that this new aesthetic rests on the same Christian principles as more traditional forms and successfuly extends gospel’s message to a wider and younger audience.”

Pollard “draws on Detroit’s thriving gospel scene as well as her knowledge of the national gospel music industry to identify important trends in each area and trace the cultural transformation that brought them about. In addition, Pollard includes interviews with contemporary gospel artists, allowing them to explain why they rap, make particular choices in attire, or participate in gospel radio, praise and worship, or gospel musical plays.”

Gospel music legend and historian Horace Clarence Boyer commented, “There is no doubt that ‘today’s gospel is not your mother’s gospel’ so we should be thankful that we have Deborah Smith Pollard’s When the Church Becomes Your Party to serve as our interpreter….”

Pollard’s book is an important companion for gospel music historians, announcers, and enthusiasts who want to better understand the connection between today’s gospel music and its antecedents. In other words, the link between the artistry of Thomas Dorsey and Tye Tribbett is stronger than one might suspect.

For more information about When the Church Becomes Your Party, go to:

www.myspace.com/dsp313

or contact Dr. Pollard directly at: DRDSP313@gmail.com