
Introduction to Lesson 22
Around 1968, at the close of the golden age of gospel, music approaches applied new stylistic labels to gospel such as urban contemporary gospel, holy hip-hop, hip-hop gospel, or just contemporary gospel, to name a few. Many continue to use these labels to describe gospel music from the late 1960s to the present day. As gospel music's boundaries concerning its stylistic labels continue to expand, notable differences in music characteristics and performance practices contribute to gospel music's broad appeal at this juncture. As succinctly stated by Tammy L. Kernodle:
At the center of this popularity is a creative community of singers, composers, producers, instrumentalists, and independent and major records companies that have drawn from myriad musical styles and production methods.
(Kernodle 2006, 89)
First, let's look at some important events that occurred during this evolutionary stage of gospel music on the next page.