Introduction to Lesson 27

The intensity and enthusiasm accompanying a well-executed gospel song have all the trappings of engaging music that arrests the listener's attention. Its global exportation to other parts of the world or even just across state lines attests to this fact. Furthermore, each time someone outside of the African American community learns to perform gospel music, that contributes to the globalization of African American music in general. This lesson will expand on the development and globalization of gospel music.

There are three significant events in the development and globalization of gospel music. The first is Thomas A. Dorsey's publication of "Precious Lord, Take My Hand"♫ (1932), which was eventually translated to forty languages. The second is the commercial success of "Oh Happy Day"♫ (1967) by the Edwin Hawkins Singers-one of the most successful early urban contemporary gospel songs and an international hit in 1969. The third is the release of "Stomp"♫ (1997) by Kirk Franklin and God's Property. Yukari Shinagawa briefly mentions the first two in her doctoral dissertation (Shinagawa 2017, 3). These three musical works gave the Black church, initially in America and then the world at large, an original song to sing and were vehicles for the continued rise, success, and recognition of Black gospel music in the global arena. They also paved the way for the continual reception of gospel music in the new millennium and beyond.

Key Artists in the Evolution of Gospel Music