Go and Make Disciples

by Earlham College

Article by Gary Harbin

Southern gospel music is an offshoot of gospel music that is composed to express the same beliefs expressed in Christian music but is distinct in that it has been performed through the years by a quartet. This kind of music has, like other forms of Christian music, been created to give Christians an alternative to mainstream Christian music. The creation and the performance of Southern gospel songs also differ according to the culture and social context. It is also performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure and religious purposes. Gospel songs, however, are primarily performed in churches for religious and worship purposes. Contemporary gospel songs have, however, become a product for the marketplace, although this subgenre has not been as secularized as other forms of Christian music have. This style of music is often called quartet music because of its all male, tenor-lead-baritone-bass composition. Unlike contemporary Christian music, southern gospel music is known for being overt in its Christian message. History Southern gospel music has its origins in 1910, with the formation of the first professional quartet for the purpose of selling songbooks for the James D. Vaughan Music Publishing Company. The early quartets performed a cappella while other groups performed with the banjo or the piano. Other publishing companies spread southern gospel music with the help of traveling missionaries, and schools. The religious nature of Southern gospel music was still dominant in the songs sung by these traveling groups that also widened their repertoire with country gospel, bluegrass and convention music apart from singing traditional gospel songs.Southern gospel drew most of its energy as it was just starting out from the Holiness movement churches of the South. Groups of Southern gospel singers became popular in the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s with their recordings. These singers include Smith’s Sacred Singers, The Speer Family, The Blackwood Family and the Stamps Quartet. There were also quartets that gathered wide popularity through their associations with famous evangelists. Contemporary Southern GospelSouthern gospel music has retained its quartet singing style but it has also opened itself up to the kind of singing with solos and duets. It has also retained its country charm, despite the fact that there are numerous radio stations offering 24-hour southern gospel songs. There are 285 stations in the US that are categorized to focus solely on the gospel music genre of the South and these radio stations also have a nationwide audience. With the advent of the internet, radio stations placed their content online and were able to reach a bigger and more global audience. Progressive Southern Gospel This is a new kind of gospel music that arose from the old Southern gospel music. It is characterized by a blend of traditional southern gospel songs, bluegrass, pop music and contemporary Christian music. This kind of southern gospel music differs from the classical style of Southern gospel with the edgier quality of its voice, lyrics and melodies. However, they are still patterned after the old Southern gospel style of singing with their evangelical messages and the testimonial aspect of the music.

Article by Ken Cunningham

For many people around the world the teachings of the Bible and the words of Jesus are a part of their everyday lives, as well as remaining active within their congregations and communities. While traditional Bible readings, church ceremonies, and pulpit sermons are still the foundations of faith, getting the message across to people in the modern world has become more difficult in some ways due to the multitude of electronic devices and the bombardment of information we are subjected to every day.

Many churches and faith based organizations have embraced the emerging technologies as a way to reach more people, stay in touch with their congregations, and adapt to an ever-changing world. At the time of the inception of the modern Internet, no one could have predicted that it would be such an influential force on religion, but as many modern churches have shown, it has opened up an entirely new aspect of worship and allowed even the smallest congregations to welcome new members from around the globe.

Passing on the Word of Jesus With Modern Technology

When most individuals think of the world wide web, they probably do not think of spreading the word of God or religion in general immediately and justifiably so. At times, it seems as though the Internet is a repository for all of the immoral and dastardly events and topics on the planet, but as with any other tool or knowledge in the world, it is what you make of it. Using this global outlet to spread famous Jesus quotes, religious life lessons, and even the music Jesus Christ imparted to the world in hymns, gospel, and contemporary styles is a fast growing trend that proves this very principle.

Modern churches and online organizations like Internet For Christians are proving that the Internet can also be a global force for good, and with the use of live web broadcasts, online lessons, music, and sermons, as well as live chats with followers all over the world; they are reaching more people than ever before. Missions and ministries are now expanding at a phenomenal rate, and are reaching out to so many places across the globe that volunteers are in very high demand.

The Christian Lifestyle…and Information for Everyone

While Internet For Christians is focused on the Christian lifestyle and its teachings, it is no way just a collection of famous Jesus quotes and scripture excepts, their website is a wealth of knowledge and resources covering topics from weddings, pets, family, dating, and of course, the Christian community.

There is also a vast amount of information and ideas for gifts for any occasion, fashion tips, weight loss tips, and many how-to articles and links to help you make the most of your next event, or make the best impression at one hosted by someone else. Ideas and tips for making unique and custom greetings, gift bags, and even original gift ideas are all available in one convenient place, and it is all completely free.

A lot of people may not associate Elvis Presley with gospel music, but he wrote over 50 gospel songs. There have been many documentaries made regarding Elvis Presley’s love of gospel music. He started out in music by singing at a tiny church in Memphis. Also, he is a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley Volumes 1 and 2 feature over 30 of Elvis’ gospel recordings. It also contains stories from some of the people that knew him best. He was heavily influenced by two of the top southern gospel music quartets, “The Blackwood Brothers” and “The Statesmen.” Also, Presley had a lifelong bond with gospel legend J.D. Sumner.

Presley once said, “Since I was two years old, all I knew was gospel music. That music became such a part of my life it was as natural as dancing. A way to escape from the problems.

And my way of release.” As a kid, Presley’s favorite singer was southern gospel singer Jake Hess. He is also said to be one of Presley’s greatest influences to his unique style.

There was entire book written about the gospel music of Elvis. It is titled “The Gospel Side of Elvis,” and was written by Joe Moscheo. This is a really nice book written from a great perspective. Moscheo played piano in some songs for Elvis’ recordings in the studio. He also sang at Presley’s funeral, giving this book a unique and interesting perspective. There have been many other books and documentaries released analyzing Elvis’ gospel music career.

Although once he became famous, record executives imposed their will on him and he began writing hits like “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog,” Elvis never lost his love for the southern gospel music that he was raised on. Songs like “Jailhouse Rock” and Hound Dog” raised him to the status of musical icon, but gospel music was his first love.

Elvis was especially found of black gospel music. Another huge influence on Presley’s music was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. As a boy Elvis would rush home every day after school just to listen to her and other black gospel singers on a special show that featured it on the radio. Tharpe and Presley had something in common in that they both controversially blended styles of music. Presley blended country music with rhythm and blues, while Tharpe mixed black spirituals with big band jazz.

At many of his concerts Elvis would use gospel groups as his backup singers. These gospel groups would travel with him while he was on tour. Elvis would use gospel music to relax. It was also very common to see him listening to it to prepare for a show.

While it is very well-known that Elvis did listen to gospel music and even made gospel songs, many do not fully understand the extent of the impact that gospel music made on Elvis’ career. The impact the gospel had on him was not just limited to music. It has often been said that most of the literature Elvis carried was religous-based and that he never went on tour without the Bible. Few understand the important of faith in the life of Elvis Presley.

More Gospel Articles

by US Consulate General Milan

Gospel music basically has its origins in the African American slaves who brought their African musical traditions to America and fused these traditions with the old Christian hymns. Several of these techniques, including the blue note and syncopation make gospel music around world distinct from other kinds of music around today. Gospel songs that arose from the African American fusion of Christian hymns and African musical tradition began to achieve more exposure in the 1920s with the emergence of churches known as Sanctified or Holiness churches. Traveling preachers brought these kinds of music along with them wherever they went. Among the most popular was Thomas Dorsey who was most responsible for popularizing gospel music in the 30s.

These days, gospel music around world is still reaching out and the spreading to Christian denominations. The original gospel music developed by African Americans has evolved as they have been spread to other parts of the world.

There are many types of gospel music around world that arose from the original gospel genre. These are urban contemporary gospel, gospel blues, southerner gospel, progressive southern gospel, Christian country music, bluegrass, and Celtic.

Urban Contemporary gospel is the subgenre of gospel music that is most identified with the black heritage of gospel music and is still marketed today as black gospel.  Blues is a form of gospel singing with  a blues influence and a lot of guitar, while southern gospel is characterized by the all male quartet and with songs that talk about the hardships in life and how God helps people overcome these hardships. Progressive Southern gospel music is an offshoot of Southern gospel.

Christian Country music is the subgenre of gospel music that does not have its origins in the African American culture but is a major component of gospel music nonetheless. Christian country music has developed into a more mainstream and contemporary form of musical worship, although it has come under criticism for being too liberal and too main stream and losing the religious messages that gospel music was intended to spread. Bluegrass gospel is county Christian music more prevalent in the mountains of America. Celtic music is the kind of gospel music that thrives in such countries as Ireland. A popular proponent of Celtic gospel music is the Dublin Gospel choir.

Blurring the Lines Between Gospel and Contemporary Music

In most countries, there remains a distinction between church and religious music. With the popularity of Christian contemporary music, more and more artists are dabbling between the two, embracing both religious and secular forms of music. There are some subgenres of gospel music around world, however, that have remained steadfast in the overt quality of their worship in their music, very much unlike contemporary Christian music, which more often than not contained double entendres in its lyrics, which means that the song can be applied to both religious and secular contexts. Southern gospel songs in particular have remained  overt in the Christian messages of its lyrics despite the infusion of bluegrass and jazz influences.

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