The title song to The Staple Singers’ 1965 album Freedom Highway was written by Roebuck “Pops” Staples, the patriarch and leader of the first family of gospel that included Pops and his daughters Cleotha, Purvis, Yvonne and Mavis. Pops learned …
Watch R&B singer Anthony Hamilton discuss his creative process and his gospel influences
Like so many R&B artists, from Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, to Al Green and Marvin Gaye, superstar singer and songwriter Anthony Hamilton’s career began in the choir of Charlotte, North Carolina’s New Shiloh Baptist Church. Filmed for NPR Music, …
The McCrary Sisters: Gospel’s go-to backup singers
The McCrary Sisters are a gospel music quartet from Nashville, Tennessee. Formed in 2010 by sisters Beverly Ann McCrary, Deborah Dianne McCrary, Regina Avonette McCrary, and Alfreda Antionette McCrary, their father – Reverend Samuel H. “Sam” McCrary – was a …
GOSPEL ROOTS OF ROCK AND SOUL Kick-Off Event with Film Screening
DATE AND TIMESunday, February 25, 20186:30 – 8:30pmLOCATIONPrince TheaterBlack Box1412 Chestnut StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19102View Map THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUTWXPN PRESENTS A NEW LIVE PERFORMANCE AND MULTI-MEDIA MUSIC PROJECT! Please join us for our inaugural GOSPEL ROOTS OF ROCK AND SOUL …
An introduction to the GOSPEL ROOTS OF ROCK AND SOUL by Ann Powers
In 1947, a white Southern musical entrepreneur named Lee Roy Abernathy made a move that shook up churchgoing America – and the sound of popular music. That winter, the Georgia-born pianist and songwriter went into an Atlanta studio with his …
Artists that straddle gospel and secular
The “Gospel Roots and Rock and Soul” project illustrates the often reciprocal nature of gospel, R&B and rock influences. In the article, The R&B-Gospel Connection, ten artists that straddle gospel and secular music are identified including Al Green, Aretha Franklin, …
Watch the Blind Boys of Alabama perform “Amazing Grace”
The Blind Boys of Alabama perform “Amazing Grace” from KEXP in Seattle.
From NPR: The Unmistakable Voice of Marion Williams
Born in Miami in August, 1927, gospel legend Marion Williams was a tremendously influential gospel singer and her influence was felt on both rock and soul music, particularly the music of Little Richard. In an interview for National Public Radio’s …