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JGM Pick of the Week – September 14, 2026
Bishop Calvin Norton and his singers come in strong but it’s the mighty-voiced Velicia Manor who steals the show on the anthem version of “Spirit of God Moving All Over Me.”
“What the Song Does: Field Interviews on Gospel and Religious Life in Harlem and Chicago” – Hongbai Zhu
"What The Song Does" is a fascinating and easy-to-navigate photographic and interview montage of Brown University student Hongbai Zhu's field research in Harlem and Chicago.
The Exciting Holy Sons – Greatest Hits, Volume 1
By surveying highlights of the Exciting Holy Sons’ two-decade recording career, Greatest Hits, Volume 1 puts listeners into the virtual front seats of a program by the award-winning Chicago-based gospel quartet.
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Recent Posts
JGM Pick of the Week – September 14, 2026
Bishop Calvin Norton and his singers come in strong but it’s the mighty-voiced Velicia Manor who steals the show on the anthem version of “Spirit of God Moving All Over Me.”
“What the Song Does: Field Interviews on Gospel and Religious Life in Harlem and Chicago” – Hongbai Zhu
"What The Song Does" is a fascinating and easy-to-navigate photographic and interview montage of Brown University student Hongbai Zhu's field research in Harlem and Chicago.
The Exciting Holy Sons – Greatest Hits, Volume 1
By surveying highlights of the Exciting Holy Sons’ two-decade recording career, Greatest Hits, Volume 1 puts listeners into the virtual front seats of a program by the award-winning Chicago-based gospel quartet.
Sponsored Post:
Calvin Bridges is marking the 50th anniversary of his treasured composition, "I Can Go To God In Prayer."
El McMeen & Ed Maina Frets and Reeds: Gospel Style! Piney Ridge Music (release date: March 25, 2022) By Robert M. Marovich Sometimes gospel jazz can be so imaginative [...]
Award-winning gospel industry veteran Earnest Pugh will be celebrated as an honoree at the 2026 BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music Awards.
The Journal of Gospel Music learned of the passing on June 17, 2026, of singer Beau Williams.
Multiple award-winning artist and songwriter Kierra Sheard will receive the BMI Impact Award in recognition of her impressive career and impact on the future of gospel music.
LATEST 5 STAR REVIEWS
Various Artists Gospel, Vol. 6: Female Gospel Groups 1940-1962 Fremeaux & Associes (2022) http://www.fremeaux.com By Robert M. Marovich If it weren’t for women, there might not be gospel music as we know it today. A gutsy statement, but accurate. For every Thomas Dorsey, Theodore Frye, and James Cleveland, there were dozens of women who, denied [...]
Various Artists Malaco 50th Celebration Malaco Music Group (release date: February 25, 2022) www.malaco.com By Robert M. Marovich The nearly two-hour Malaco 50th Celebration two CD set (and companion DVD) is one of the best releases thus far this year. Recorded live on July 12, 2018, at the record company’s golden anniversary gala at Thalia [...]
Dedicated Men of Zion The Devil Don’t Like It https://fatpossum.com/collections/bible-tire-recording-co (release date: March 3, 2022) By Robert M. Marovich On The Devil Don’t Like It, their follow-up to 2020’s Can’t Turn Me Around, the Dedicated Men of Zion quartet breathes new life into a handful of gospel classics by fitting them with arrangements that sound [...]
Maranda Curtis Die to Live Butterfly Works / Red Alliance Media / Fair Trade Services Release date: February 18, 2022 www.iammaranda.com By Robert M. Marovich Although his declaration doesn’t appear until several minutes into the album, Bishop John Francis essentially states the theme of Maranda Curtis’s new album Die to Live. After quoting John 12:24, [...]
Javon Jackson The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni Solid Jackson (release date: February 18, 2022) https://www.javonjackson.com https://nikki-giovanni.com By Robert M. Marovich The Gospel According to Nikki Giovanni is a Black History Month treat from a jazz combo led by Javon Jackson, saxophonist and former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and the iconic poet and [...]
LATEST PICK OF THE WEEK – SINGLES
“Grateful” DJ Nevaquit Independent (release date: October 24, 2025)
“When there is no peace, you can know peace,” Todd Curry and his singers whisper to listeners on their single, “kNOw Peace.”
“Victory” is a real pewburner from Monroe, Louisiana, gospel singer Kimberly Mendoza.
Zacardi Cortez shouts and squalls like a seasoned quartet lead through the confessional “Working on Me” as he pleads to God for a “brand new start” through spiritual restoration.
“Broken Habits” KamSam The Unstoppable Music (release date: December 16, 2025) By Robert M. Marovich Vulnerability, faith, and gratitude gush out of London-based gospel singer Patrice Tate-Samuel, aka KamSam, as she works her troubles out on “Broken Habits.” By giving herself over to Jesus, she affirms, she can break through the barriers she has created [...]
Conversations with the Gospel Legends: Delores Scott
On our latest episode of "Conversations with the Gospel Legends," we talk with singer Delores Scott, member of the 'Ship, the Tommies, and an altogether integral part of Chicago's gospel community. Special thanks to Rev. Harold Bailey, Mr. Clarence McMillon, and the PCC Network for making this broadcast possible.
Conversations with the Gospel Legends – Rev. Dr. Stanley Keeble
On this episode of "Conversations with the Gospel Legends," the Reverend Dr. Stanley Keeble talks about his days as an accompanist, as part of the Fellowship M.B. Church music ministry, his Voices of Triumph group, his mentor Willie Webb, and the Chicago gospel scene of the 1950s and 1960s. Conversations [...]
By Robert Marovich
In A City Called Heaven, gospel announcer and music historian Robert Marovich shines a light on the humble origins of a majestic genre and its indispensable bond to the city where it found its voice: Chicago.
By Robert Marovich
In A City Called Heaven, gospel announcer and music historian Robert Marovich shines a light on the humble origins of a majestic genre and its indispensable bond to the city where it found its voice: Chicago.
By Bob Marovich Like Beatles and Bob Dylan purists, fans of gospel’s celebrated Clark Sisters know every harmony, every vocal ornamentation, and every nuance of every singer on every song by heart—almost better than the artists themselves. No pressure on Donald Lawrence, musical director of The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel. The biopic premieres [...]
By Bob Marovich From time to time, such as on major holidays or when the young people’s choir was singing, young Gloria Fowles and her family accompanied their grandmother to Abyssinian Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. At Abyssinian, they would listen to sermons from its pastor, the Reverend Raphus P. Means, and gospel music [...]
By Bob Marovich The sacred-secular divide in music is a uniquely modern conception, and it misses the point. In West Africa, where most enslaved Africans came from, all music was sacred and all music was secular. There was no distinction…until the music came to America during the African Diaspora and distinctions based on intent were [...]
JGM was saddened to learn of the passing of Pastor Joseph A. Peay Sr. He transitioned from earth to glory on October 11, 2025, at age 85.
