History of Gospel

For this year’s Black History Month, we celebrated Gospel Music’s past, present, and future.

Our Brand Manager Chris Baker took us on a tour into the history of spirituals, the growth of the genre from traditional to mainstream, and more.

In the first video of our series, we travel back to gospel music's origins.

We enter the 1930’s in part 2, celebrating the decade traditional American gospel music became an official genre, the influence of Thomas A. Dorsey, and more.

As gospel music rose in popularity, mainstream success came along with it. In part 3, we talk about the prominent artists and groups that bolstered gospel’s rise in the mainstream, and the tension between church and secular music.

In part 4, we step into the present today learning about some of the key gospel artists who helped bridge traditional and contemporary gospel music.

In part 5, we look to the future and what’s to come for the gospel music genre!