Black Gospel
Gospel music is believed to have its roots deeply embedded in the Churches of the South that featured black people. This is in the time of segregation where black people had Churches separate from the white people.
No matter how hard life seemed to get for the black people of the South they never seemed to loose their Faith. Attending Church was uplifting and a time to be thankful for what God had given them.
One way to share their joy at being in the Church and for their Faith was to sing about it. Black people have always been known for their unbelievable singing voices. Added with the passion of their Faith the songs were heard loud and clear. The concept of the black gospel choir is on that is commonly reproduced in movies that portray this time in the South.
One of the earliest know black gospel singers is Thomas Dorsey who composed one of the best known gospel songs There will be Peace in the Valley. He is often labeled as the Father of Gospel Music. There are really only a handful of black gospel artists from the 30’s through the 50’s.
The majority of the recordings were done by quartets that have been identified as the movement behind pop music. In a quartet individuals could see different pitches at the same time giving the gospel music a rich harmony that people just couldn’t get enough of. The majority of these quartets were men but a few female groups emerged as well.
Many people love the music of black gospel but they are infuriated by the name that has stuck with the music after all of these years. They believe it is degrading to African Americans. It also resorts us back to the time when they were viewed as lesser human beings than white people. They also feel it makes many people in society feel they are entitled to treat blacks as lower class.
