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JGM Pick of the Week – March 31, 2026
“Word” Bishop Darrel Petties & Take 2 Independent (release date: November 14, 2025) By Robert M. Marovich “Word,” a declaration to keep the faith by remembering God’s promises during tough times, is a high-octane workout pinned to a contemporary musical foundation. It has the motive force of a locomotive without brakes. From the first note to the last in this nearly seven-minute selection, Bishop Darrel Petties & Take 2 are relentless in their hard-charging evangelizing. The group may technically call itself an ensemble, but on “Word,” the men go into deep drive-tempo quartet mode, complete with a sizzling vamp. Petties, [...]
RIP: Henry Jackson DMus – Singer, Musician, Songwriter, and Group Leader
Henry Jackson DMus--who transitioned from labor to glory on September 18, 2025 at age 80.
RIP: Dr. James Abbington: Black Sacred Music Scholar, Musician, Music Minister, Author, Editor
JGM reports yet another significant loss to the gospel music community and, for me, the loss of a friend: the passing of Dr. James Abbington on September 27, 2025.
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Recent Posts
JGM Pick of the Week – March 31, 2026
“Word” Bishop Darrel Petties & Take 2 Independent (release date: November 14, 2025) By Robert M. Marovich “Word,” a declaration to keep the faith by remembering God’s promises during tough times, is a high-octane workout pinned to a contemporary musical foundation. It has the motive force of a locomotive without brakes. From the first note to the last in this nearly seven-minute selection, Bishop Darrel Petties & Take 2 are relentless in their hard-charging evangelizing. The group may technically call itself an ensemble, but on “Word,” the men go into deep drive-tempo quartet mode, complete with a sizzling vamp. Petties, [...]
RIP: Henry Jackson DMus – Singer, Musician, Songwriter, and Group Leader
Henry Jackson DMus--who transitioned from labor to glory on September 18, 2025 at age 80.
RIP: Dr. James Abbington: Black Sacred Music Scholar, Musician, Music Minister, Author, Editor
JGM reports yet another significant loss to the gospel music community and, for me, the loss of a friend: the passing of Dr. James Abbington on September 27, 2025.
Sponsored Post:
GOSPEL, a new four-hour docuseries from executive producer, host, and writer Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., explores the rich history of Black spirituality through sermon and song. The series premieres [...]
Here are the 66th Annual GRAMMY Award winners in the various gospel categories.
Greenville, South Carolina, singer-songwriter Jayden Williams offers a bubbly ode of gratitude to Jesus on “Thank You, Lord.”
On the charming instrumental “Walking in the Light,” father-son inspirational jazz duo Elder Randall Ogans Sr. and Dorian Ogans evoke the image of a procession of believers swaggering into the light of God’s presence.
Join Northwestern’s Religious and Spiritual Life as they honor Professor L. Stanley Davis on Sunday, February 18th at 3:00pm CST at Alice Millar Chapel (1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL).
“Blessed My Soul” Jason Singleton & Friends From the Singletone Music Group CD The LowCountry Church Experience (release date: July 16, 2023) By Robert M. Marovich In what artist and [...]
LATEST 5 STAR REVIEWS
LATEST PICK OF THE WEEK – SINGLES
“I’ll Do It For You” The Fantastic Bibletones BTones Music (release date: January 29, 2019) www.thefantasticbibletones.com By Bob Marovich Not the Buffalo, New York, group of yesteryear, this Fantastic Bibletones is a female gospel quartet from St. Louis, Missouri, that sounds like a church-honed Sister Sledge. The ladies’ new single, “I’ll Do It For You,” [...]
“Haven’t Seen It Yet” Danny Gokey Sparrow / Capitol Christian Music Group (release date: January 11, 2019) www.dannygokeymusic.com By Bob Marovich After a two-year hiatus, American Idol finalist and CCM star Danny Gokey is back with a new single, “Haven’t Seen It Yet.” The single evokes in melody and arrangement the pop hits of Sam [...]
“It’s All About You” Rev. Stef & Jubilation (independent, 2019) https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/RevStefandJubilation By Bob Marovich The Reverend Dr. Stefanie Minatee, aka Rev. Stef, is back doing what she loves—directing Jubilation, the gospel choir that, among other achievements, backed Queen Latifah on the title track of the GRAMMY Award-winning various artists gospel compilation, Oh Happy Day (EMI, [...]
“Blessing Me” CHurCHicago Independent (release date: February 8, 2019) https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/Churchicago By Bob Marovich The first couple of singles by CHurCHicago left me regretfully nonplussed, but their latest, “Blessing Me,” is a different story. A drive-tempo selection fitted with a fiery vamp and feisty guitar licks, “Blessing Me” is a plea for continued blessings in spite [...]
“Anchored”God’s PosseIndependent (release date: January 30, 2019) By Bob Marovich Acknowledging at the outset that “Anchored” is actually an old song with a new twist, God’s Posse of Chicago proceeds to provide an up-tempo reading of said old song, complete with soft harmonies, a lead-trading vamp, and contemporary arrangement. The metaphoric “Anchored” teaches that, in [...]
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 JGM is saddened to report the passing of Mr. Ronald Greer of Bay City, Texas. He passed away in his sleep sometime last night or early this morning. Ron was the number one fan of the Roberta Martin Singers. Over the years, he kept in touch with the Martin Singers' manager, Eugene [...]
Photo Credit: Hawkins Gospel Conference website By Bob Marovich The Journal of Gospel Music has learned that Edwin Hawkins, whose arrangement of the nineteenth-century hymn "Oh Happy Day" became a crossover success and signaled the emergence of contemporary gospel music, passed away today (Jan. 15) in Pleasanton, California. Here is a brief biography I put [...]
