Have we reached a level of autonomy in gospel music that is destroying our sector of the industry?
If I wanted to “get into” gospel music, where would I go? Where is the recommended starting point? That question spurred and inquisitive and introspective afternoon of questions and opinions that I want to share in this article.
Remember when Kirk Franklin told Shannon about his publishing, some people thought it was one entity and other people knew it was another? There used to be multiple streams that all flowed into the same pool. Now there are multiple streams but many of them lead nowhere! We do have labels undergirded by the big three (Sony, Warner, Universal) but what does that mean, now? What does that mean besides having a YouTube or Facebook video stricken for singing one of their songs during church or demonetized for including a song from their catalog in your video? We have radio promotions but many of the BIG gospel stations are owned by companies with no real interest in the genre or the people.
Publications…Journalists…who the heck is going to write about you and reach a mass audience? I can pitch articles to publications but that’s me. I’m one person…I don’t mean re-sharing a press release, either! Where are the people who have a journalistic interest in the furtherance of gospel music? Not just people who can share your content on social media for a fee.
WE STILL DON’T HAVE A GOSPEL MUSIC TRADE ORGANIZATION!
We have tried to make SAGMA this and they never asked us for that burden. The Stellar Awards is an awards show. Mr. Jackson LOVES gospel music; the show is evolving. Save your righteous indignation for something else. Last year, during the lead up to the Stellar Awards, I asked Mr. Jackson if SAGMA and the evolution of Stellar+ programming would lend itself to the work of a trade organization and got a pretty good response to it. There is still no commitment from The Stellars to step into that space nor should we expect that of them. What the Stellar Awards does is award top gospel acts and for that they have earned the respect and adulation of those of who enjoy gospel music and work in that segment of the entertainment industry. I don’t have a beef with the Stellars and will continue to cover the show each year!
GMA (CCM and some gospel), CMA (Country Music), The Recording Academy (those are a few trade organizations) We don’t have one and I’m not sure if we’ll ever have one. GMWA filled this void for years but when the industry shifted away from actually supporting the music we sing in church, GMWA lost its weight in the industry. Where would you go now to break new music? What are we breaking in gospel music now besides our necks to keep up with our friends singing secular music?
Did y’all know that Nicki Minaj hit #1 on the gospel charts a few weeks ago? She did this WHILE openly feuding online and being her usual self. The song features Tasha Cobbs Leonard so it’s no surprise that it’s doing well. When the two teamed up for “I’m Getting Ready,” Cobbs Leonard endured severe backlash despite the song’s success. I don’t dislike Nicki Minaj, I just hope that she one day becomes who she’s clearly called to be in the Lord. When Lil Nas X burst on the scene with his “country” song, it was initially removed on Billboard’s country charts because they said it wasn’t country. I didn’t agree with it but I understood the move. Their governing body spoke up, but in gospel music, we don’t have a governing body. We do still have gatekeepers, if you can still call them that. They clearly misplaced the keys. We’re letting everything in because of toothless hirelings!
You would think that the gospel message would be central to our sector of the industry. Now it sometimes seems weird to meet people who love Jesus, are active in ministry and actually believe the Bible. Can we bring that back or do we need to create an entirely new sector for that? Other genres have filmmakers, authors and other creators as a vibrant sector of their membership. The gospel music industry is just that…music and truthfully only what can get on the radio. Do we care to change that? I have a BIG problem with gospel artists who don’t respect God, the Bible or even the gospel music sector of the entertainment industry. I would rather lose them to secular music than to see them push their real desire on unsuspecting gospel listeners and supporters.
I also have to call out the people making artists’ time and experience in gospel music a nightmare! If you can’t be helpful on general principle, leave these artists where they are! Almost too frequently, artists run to sign with labels who don’t care to elevate them. Instead, these artists are stuck in bad deals, with companies that won’t promote them or simply charge them to use company people or relationships to do the things they did well on their own. We can’t be mad when artists want to leave gospel music to be treated right. We gotta chill with that, y’all!
CHH…why is it a CCM thing? Super random, I know but I’m asking all the questions, today!
Digital Streaming (and purchasing) Platforms have eliminated much of what we even needed a trade organization for. Now that you can simply upload your music and artwork, the actual work and art of engagement is lost. What is also lost is the potential for artists to engage opportunities with their music. Many artists remain oblivious to the many tools these platforms provide to help artists attain a manageable level of success. Why? No one has told them, they don’t read nor do they attend the conferences and workshops that provide this information. By the way, those are the less shiny workshops and some don’t come with performance opportunities. This ignorance is punctuated by their lack of knowledgable representation which means they have no way of learning about opportunities or presenting themselves and their music for said opportunities. I was at a workshop at the Dove Awards when I learned this! Put the mic down and pick the pen up! Learn for what you want to earn!
I remember listening to an artists’ song that ministered to people with suicidal thoughts and struggling with mental health. I don’t know if their manager ever tried, but in my notes to them, I told them that they needed to reach out to organizations and pitch the song for potential campaigns. But if you’re content with radio spins and people hearing your cover of a CCM song, so be it! When is the last time you heard a good gospel song in a movie or tv show? I watch a lot of indie films so I’ve heard a few. Why not connect with music supervisors or find the submission pool to put your music to work? It’s not being streamed but it could be in a movie, tv show or commercial? If you believe in it enough to even submit it! A trade organization would at least post these opportunities and be able to show artists how to take advantage or be considered for them.
Real Christian fellowship is lacking in our industry because we’re suffocating under the weight and false pretense of superficial relationships! We can’t alienate once beloved broadcasters because their station format flipped! We can’t ignore people who make sense because they don’t have a large following. We can’t assume roles of influence even though we know nothing! I’ve seen it happen and it’s causing a deep divide among people who should be doing everything they can to keep our segment of the entertainment industry strong! People should be able to see us in the gospel music industry and see the gospel music permeating through our dealings. That includes equipping artists to thrive in this industry. Instead, our artists are poorly equipped to compete for big opportunities en masse. It’s a shame because these Pop, Country and R&B concerts are jamming to music played by church kids all over the world!
That’s all I have for now. We’re at the midway point of January and here I am starting stuff, already! I haven’t been afraid to stir the pot but this time, I’m grabbing a bigger spoon! I am GUILTY of starting something and I hope it’s engaging conversation as we work to recover control of our sector of the entertainment industry. Let’s talk…
When I opened an email with music from iconic gospel quartet group The Igramettes, I immediately took note of their record label. By its name, I knew that it had little to do with gospel music, though it had everything to do with this great group who’s existence has spanned the better half of a century. Though I’d only heard of the ladies, they are and have been quite a big deal over time. Their album “Take a Look in the Book” released last Friday and carries the hallmark of a classic gospel quartet album. Stay tuned for my forthcoming review of the latest chapter of their storied run.
In traditional and especially quartet music, there’s a phenomenon in America that has adopted many great groups of yesteryear. It’s not uncommon to discover new acts in what is close to their final act. Many times, their catalogs are revisited, their classics remastered, and their careers rejuvenated. You wouldn’t see The Rance Allen Group on an Americana label or performing at a folk festival, nor the likes of Pastor Shirley Caesar, but gospel quartet has a connection to Americana/folk music interest that deserves some conversation.
I’ll concede that though Americana/folk audiences seem interested, there is a longstanding divide (save Bob Dylan and a few others) in that demographic that is part of the oppressive past gospel artists sang their way through.
In the past, I have encouraged quartet groups to take interest in the Roots Gospel category at the GRAMMY Awards. One such winner is The Fairfield Four (2015), gospel icons in their own right. Research will indicate that their ascent to the helm of the Roots Gospel category in 2015 wasn’t within the gospel industry. In fact, the gospel industry doesn’t seem too concerned with quartet and traditional gospel music, these days.
Days Gone By…
Perhaps, it’s time to move on from the traditional sound to a more contemporary sound, but what about the people that want to hear traditional music? What about artists with traditional music in their hearts and hands? Some of them are just as bad at contemporary music as some contemporary artists would be as a traditional artist. And furthermore, what about the songs that got us over? Have we gotten so “over” that we don’t need to look back or even work to preserve the sound…our sound?
It’s happening in many genres, though. Jazz is disappearing from the airwaves, except for the movement of the Gaithers, Southern gospel would be a thing of the past, and even country music looked its demise in the face and altered course before it was too late. Country music facing its mortality actually led to its resurgence. This led to its recent resurgence, but what will happen for gospel music who now solely relies on its contemporary sound that’s more “gospel worship” rhythm and blues and pop than soul?
Country music may not look like it used to, but it certainly isn’t dead.
Nina Corcoran, Consequence of Sound, January 31, 2020
Years ago I asked a question, “what happened to the Hammond organ in gospel music?” I asked this because though you could clearly see an organ on the bandstand being played by world class musicians, they were inaudible on the recording. As an audio engineer, I get how to “mix out” certain instruments and frequencies, but it’s hard to understand why this staple of the gospel sound has lost its relevance. There’s no organ on the recording, yet churches full of listeners still have an organ as the main instrument, furthering the divide from the industry down to its consumers.
Months later, I discovered that what we lost (the Hammond organ) in gospel music was found in R&B and Neo Soul! Contemporary arrangements make songs less playable for smaller churches and instrumentation, they’re not singable to average singers and because A&R (artist and repertoire) are a thing of the past, many of the songs are simply undesirable.
We have contemporary “anthems” and spirituals, sure, but there was never a need to replace what was. The gospel industry owes it to itself to hang on to the traditional sound before it’s coopted by those with the resources to do what the gospel industry has long been unwilling to do. Want proof that the gospel industry is coming up short by overlooking traditional artists?
Go to a quartet concert and look at the line before and after the concert. People want it and will stay as long as they can to see their favorite artists. Then, they’ll stand in line for a picture and buy a cd on their way home. If quartet artists kept better track of their numbers, it would upset the charts and topple the current hierarchy in place, now. Because the festival circuit isn’t widely encouraged, you only see mainstream gospel artists at a handful of festivals. But traditional and quartet artists have been long been booked on jazz festivals, touring foreign countries regularly and back at home, working quite regularly singing their music.
In 2015, the Jones Family Singers were huge news because of their unlikely with an atheist journalist who loved their music. He loved their music so much that he wrote about them which led to them linking with a producer (Alan Berg) who recorded a CD and DVD of their journey. Following the release of their CD, the family group was featured at SXSW, toured Russia, performed at the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Monterrey Jazz Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival and really made a huge splash at home and abroad in addition to the release of their film which at one point could be viewed on Netflix.
While the Jones Family enjoyed a great run in the mid 2010’s, this didn’t translate to overwhelming success in the gospel industry which further fuels the thought that most gospel and traditional music is comprised of independent artists and labels, with what can be perceived as little to no interest from mainstream labels.
In 2017, Melvin Williams independently released what I felt to be one of the greatest traditional and quartet music tribute albums (“Where I Started From”), lately. Perhaps it was sales, perhaps it was timing, but I was quite disappointed that it wasn’t considered for a Roots Gospel GRAMMY Award. His documentary “Down Home Gospel” aired nationally on PBS Stations and received a 2018 EMMY nomination.
The labor of love is fueled by his mission to “PTGM” (Preserve Traditional Gospel Music). The Gospel Roots category is the best placement for traditional gospel as the category considers folk gospel southern gospel albums. The 2020 winner in this category is Gloria Gaynor whose breakout album “Testimony” shocked doubters and even fans who had no idea she was now a gospel recording artist.
So, there’s no room in the gospel industry for traditional gospel music, who’s making room for the sound the got us over and brought us through…to this place of success and recognition the gospel industry currently enjoys?
Before we end this conversation, what happened to choirs? They didn’t disappear, in fact many choirs of varied sizes are forced to go the way of independent artists. They’re just no longer a bigger part of the current gospel music landscape. The Brat Pack in gospel is still going strong, but who else? Their longevity shouldn’t be punishment to the next generation of choirs who aspire to be heard globally as well. It’s clear that the industry shifted from choirs to duos and as it stands now, solo artists. But, why? Each week listeners go to church to be a part of something…a choir or praise team depending on the membership. What God gave in the form of gospel music to black people is ours to steward. Business is business but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing!
Mishandling the Business
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells a parable about a businessman who gave his servants “talents” or “minas” to watch over while he was gone. One servant had five, another two and the last had one. Each of the servants with more than one were able to provide a return on what was entrusted to them. The servant with only one talent hid his and had nothing to show for when the master returned. He was harshly judged because he hid it and provided no return-not even the bare minimum he could’ve gotten from the “exchangers”. His punishment was not only to be cast out, but he lost what he had and it was given to the servant who doubled his five. What does this mean for gospel music? It’s unfathomable to think that traditional gospel will sit on a shelf and that traditional gospel artists will continue to “wait outside the gate” for an industry that has seemingly turned their backs to them.
As The Fairfield Four, Blind Boys of Alabama the Ingramettes and a growing list of talent have discovered, their gifts were better suited in “other” hands! If the doors of gospel music remain closed to traditional gospel music, don’t worry, there’s always Americana!
Kirk Franklin performs at the 50th GMA Dove Awards
Last night on the telecast of the 50th GMA Dove Awards, a portion of Kirk Franklin’s award acceptance was edited and omitted part of his speech, to the chagrin of many in the gospel community. Namely, RCA Inspiration SVP and GM, Phil Thornton took issue with the omission and called out GMA and TBN in a series of tweets. The controversy comes on the heels of what was an otherwise iconic night of celebration.
The Gospel Music Association replied with an explanation that many speeches were cut in the interest of time and that there was no malice behind the omission of a portion of Franklin’s speech. They also hoped to air the speech in its entirety, soon.
“A young girl by the name of Atatiana Jefferson was shot and killed in her home by a policeman and I am just asking that we send up prayers for her family and for his, and asking that we send up prayers for that 8-year-old little boy that saw that tragedy,”
As stated by Phil Thornton, the issue is not in the editing itself, rather it is the content chosen to be omitted. While it’s easy to be upset with the Gospel Music Association and the Trinity Broadcasting Network, there remains a more prevalent persistence that demands our attention and action. Black and white Christians have very different experiences in America. While many white Christians still enjoy the many, even unintentional benefits of white privilege, many blacks in America are still subject to the fact that America’s greatest sin is its unrepentant, native sin.
Because we are monotheistic but not monolithic, we suffer chasms within the faith community. We can seemingly all agree on certain political points the bible supports, or do we? Entitlement benefits, morality in the white house and international diplomacy are all issues believers invoke scripture to support or refute. Police brutality is an issue many evangelicals don’t seem to feel the need to address. For this reason, a deep divide has persisted within our communities. But the DOVE Awards is not apolitical, not in the least. One of the show’s sponsors this year is My Faith Votes, an association committed to galvanizing the faith community to take part in each election. So, if police brutality is a political issue, it’s not a political issue the GMA cares to engage its base to take action against.
I’m not sure what the culprit is, whether it’s racism, apathy or a trivialization of the pain that persists in our community. Blacks today at large still face systemic racism and the fight for equality and equity in shared spaces rages on, even within the church. Black and white communities in the Kingdom still exist separate and apart from each other; and with that issue seemingly at the heart of the cutting room omission, I decided to share this essay.
The cacophony of cognitive dissonance is drowning out the sound of racial harmony in the Gospel/Christian music community
We don’t get to “shut up and sing gospel music…” when something affects our community, we are expected to say something. In fact, it’s a good idea that when you see something, you say something, right? In most cases, this is true. While we’re working vehemently to interpret scripture and its meaning for all members of Christ’s family, some issues are clear cut, er…black and white.
When Kirk Franklin graces the stage at Lipscomb University to speak during the LIVE taping of the Dove Awards, you can prepare to be amused and challenged. Franklin has mastered the art of universal communication and whether using self-deprecating humor or scripture, he reaches the listening audience in a way that only he can.
Over the years, his time at the microphone has matched his heart, sharing his hopes for racial unity and even taking a moment to pray. This year, at the 50th GMA Dove Awards was no different and Franklin took time to share what was on his heart about the tragic killing of Atatiana Jefferson here in our hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.
Miss Jefferson died at the hands of a police officer, Aaron Dean who has since resigned from the force and is now facing charges. Franklin has openly shared his heart about the shooting on his social media channel and for those closely following him, the speech at the DOVE Awards came as no surprise.
What was surprising, disappointing and even disparaging was the omission of a portion of Franklin’s speech on the edited, televised version of the awards show- to the dismay of many in the gospel community. This omission was seen as more than a cutting room floor decision, but part of a greater problem faced when the gospel and Christian music communities converge.
Instead of harmony and reconciliation, the cacophony of cognitive dissonance further widens the racial divide. When one side can’t see what is impacting the other side, we can never bond together and work to solve each other’s problems- together. In truth, the fact that there are other sides when we are supposedly on the same side (the Kingdom of God) is a problem, within itself. Franklin has called not only for racial unity, but for love to increase. Love from the law enforcement community that will reach citizens and love from citizens to reach and impact the law enforcement community. Because so much time is spent apart in their respective microcosms, many gospel and Christian music artists rarely interact apart from the DOVE Awards.
No Sleeping Allowed, Church. The “WOKE” Movement Should Be No Stranger to Sunday Morning
But when issues are raised in our shared spaces, don’t we then have the onus of at least trying to help? This again begs the question raised in Luke 10:29, “who is my neighbor?” For many, the issue of distance is the source of the dissonance. We often find ourselves pleading for help ad nauseam because our brothers and sisters in the Kingdom can’t feel our pain. “I can’t hear you because that’s not my experience!” Perhaps the source of the dissonance is distance to those in need, “I know nothing about that issue and don’t know how to help!” Sadly, the most painful source of the dissonance is the neighbor you tell about your problem. Because they don’t see you as their neighbor, they ascribe no ownership of the problem, nor can they see any potential for their investment in the solution.
But if it ails one, it ails all…this is our belief as Christians, isn’t it?! Isn’t this why we send money and missionaries to third world countries? Isn’t this why we setup ministries in impoverished communities? The question today isn’t about who our neighbor is, the question today is about who the neighbor we’re willing to help is. The issue of police brutality has suddenly become political, though for years, it has been an extension of the plight of black and brown people in America.
Blacks were infamously brutalized in the south during the Jim Crow era and though now decades removed from the horrors of Jim Crow laws and policy, blacks still face many of the derivatives of oppression in official capacity. This often materializes in police brutality in minority communities. What’s worse is that though citizens are brutalized in white communities as well, there’s not as much outrage. This blanket sentiment is applied when the black community, inclusive of its gospel music makers speak up to raise their voices. Victim blaming is acceptable and many have yet to see the problem minorities yet face with police in their community.
Why? You’d have to spend years peeling back the layers of society to even begin to try and understand this phenomenon. Blacks who speak out against police brutality are actually speaking out for a cause that benefits everyone in the room when spoken in mixed audiences. Political alignment has muted voices in what would otherwise be open and shut arguments for God’s idea of justice and as His children. It behooves us to re-consider the allegiances the don’t align with Kingdom principles.
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:10
Amid all the backlash, there have been calls to boycott the DOVE Awards, TBN and any other entity that sides with any effort to silence any voice speaking truth to power. Trouble is, this ideology is so pervasive that it’s much bigger than the Gospel Music Association, Trinity Broadcasting, evangelicals, Southern Baptists, and our other neighbors who are content to turn a blind eye to the plight of their family in Christ.
If last week’s GRAMMY Award nominations are any indication for gospel music, it seems like gospel is gonna be just fine! Though the list featured some very familiar names, their albums and songs are every bit of deserving of the GRAMMY nod. If you’ve stayed up at night wondering about the future of gospel music, worry no more!
Millennials take the blame for so much these days. But according to the Recording Academy, they’re also due some credit for the success of gospel music, this year! The youngest nominee in the gospel category is 20 and the oldest is 47. Koryn Hawthorne is 20 (her birthday is December 26th, Jekalyn Carr is 21, Tori Kelly is 25, The Walls Group ages range from 21-28 and Jonathan McReynolds is 29. At 47 and 48 respectively, Brian Courtney Wilson and Kirk Franklin are the only non-Millenial/Generation Z artists nominated this year!
Jonathan McReynolds, Jekalyn Carr, Tori Kelly, Koryn Hawthorne and Brian Courtney Wilson populate this year’s field for Gospel Song of the Year. On the Album side, the list has one addition, The Walls Group. Millenials, dominate the gospel GRAMMY noms, y’all…!
The sound is reflective of their respective generations, too! Ask any child who Tori Kelly is and they may not know who you’re talking about until you start singing “Don’t You Worry Bout a Thing“. Earlier this year, Kelly shocked her fans when she announced her plans to release a gospel album. If you’re coming to gospel music, who better to hold the door open for you than Kirk Franklin?Kelly teamed up with Kirk Franklin who dug deep into his mixed bag of previously unrecorded hits to help finalize Kelly’s album that grew from its initial single: “Help Us to Love” ft. The Hamiltones. Their collaboration “Never Alone” and Kelly’s Christian/Gospel album “Hiding Place” is up for Best Gospel Song and Album. Kelly features Jonathan McReynolds on “Just As Sure” and Lecrae on “Masterpiece” but really shines on the soulful “Sunday” and “Psalm 42” a song I wouldn’t be surprised if it made an impact on the Christian (CCM) charts and radio.
Jonathan McReynolds’ “Cycles” and album “Make Room” are nominated in respective categories. McReynolds’ album is replete with songs for believers in what many consider the “tweener” stages of spiritual maturity. No one can truly put an age on spiritual maturity but, you know the stage in your spiritual life he’s singing about.
The devil, he learns from your mistakes-even if you don’t!
The eruption you hear from the crowd when McReynold’s sings that line is the collective revelation of the next line: “that’s how he keeps you in cycles…” A whole sermon in 15 seconds! Teaming with Doe Jones of Forever Jones, the two sermonized a life lesson set to life music as only McReynolds can. Songs like “Better“, “Graduate” and “Make Room” make you want to be a better believer! In fact, they play like a spiritual report card, if nothing else! In Dallas earlier this year, McReynolds intimated that he discovered his need for more grace in the process of writing this album! Whether you need grace or a jaunt toward spiritual maturity, “Make Room” challenges believers to do just that in their spiritual life, earning the album and single “Cycles” a GRAMMY nom this year.
She draws almost an immediate comparison to Pastor Shirley Caesar, but this past year, Evangelist Jekalyn Carr has turned the comparisons into mere recollections. She has come into her own as an artist, author and entrepreneur. She hasn’t even begun to evolve and though she’s been in the conversation for the better part of the last five years, she just recently turned 21. Also making a huge turn with her maturation and evolution is her musical output!
If you made it through Jekalyn Carr’s “It’s Yours” without at least tapping your foot, snapping your fingers or clapping your hands, you probably need a wellness check. Jekalyn Carr has delivered possibly her best album yet with “One Nation Under God”. Considering the current political climate, some listeners weren’t quite sure what to expect from Carr. Once the album dropped, all speculation went out the window!
“You Will Win” preceded her book release by the same name, “Stay With Me” and “It’s Yours” were sent to radio and inspired listeners everywhere. Though the radio singles performed well, the complete project is stellar and a step above “The Life Project” which netted a GRAMMY nomination for “You’re Bigger” (Gospel Performance/Song). Because recorded music now exists in a singles driven industry, many listeners are oblivious to the greatness on this album. “In This Atmosphere” features Donald Lawrence, “On the Cross” features Pastor Steve Hare of REACH Radio, “Never Alone” not only features a deep groove, it features Cachet Morganfield and Nariah Smith returns on “Gonna Be Great“. The Life Project featured a combined choir and they return on this album for: “We Are One“. Top to bottom, this album is a winner (see what I did, there?) so it’ll come as no surprise to see Carr win this award season!
Sometimes I watch too much television. Other times, I don’t even have the television on. My favorite drama on now is “Greenleaf“. A few seasons ago, I watched a performance of a song that I didn’t even remember until I met an artist who recorded the song! In an interview with Koryn Hawthorne, I immediately remembered hearing the song on the show! In an interview with Angela Jollivette, she spoke to us about the decision to insert “Won’t He Do It” and other gospel songs and artists into the season. The song burst onto the airwaves and has ridden the wave of popularity all the way to a performance on the Soul Train Music Awards and a 2018 GRAMMY nomination! Congratulations to Koryn, and her wonderful team at RCA Inspiration!
One unforgettable note about Koryn Hawthorne: when asked about her decision to sing gospel music following her time on “The Voice“, she made a decision to honor God with her voice if she was ever able to reach this stage of her music career! A decision worth celebrating!
You’re probably wondering how The Walls Group ended up in the 2018 GRAMMY Awards Best Gospel Album category, you’re not alone. You also probably haven’t listened to “The Other Side“. Don’t feel bad though, the group has been rather quiet since last November’s release. Rhea got married and had a baby, big bro Darrell is singing and writing all over the industry, the little brother and sister are growing (way) up and wait, there’s more Walls’???
The Other Side featured a variety of genres, brought together by the brilliant minds of the Walls’ and super-producer Warryn Campbell. The first single from the album: “My Life” was a straightforward anthem letting everybody know that the kids on the couch in the living were all grown up, now! Their song selection also changed. If you were expecting more fun, innocuous music from the Walls’, you ended up on the ‘other side’ of their intended audience. It’s fair to surmise that their new content has in a way displaced them from their initial dedication as a “novelty” group. The Walls Group is a group comprised of young adults, now! Songs like: “And You Don’t Stop” “Word” and “The Other Side“(a song about Heaven) show us just how mature this young group is. Listening to this album is the aural equivalent of growing pains. With growth comes maturity and with their vocal and maturity in life, The Walls Group has earned their latest GRAMMY nomination!
Alas…what more can be said about Brian Courtney Wilson’s “A Great Work“? His album is so good, that it inspired an entire ongoing series here at SMG: The Gospel Music Series. It changed the way I listen to gospel music and helped me understand that not all gospel music is for Sunday morning nor should it be judged by its Sunday morning-worthiness! The name says it all…it’s a great body of work! From the first track to the last, the album is his best to date! For those of you familiar with Wilson, you remember his last album was also GRAMMY nominated. He’s no stranger to GRAMMY nominations but this should be his year to win! Brian Courtney Wilson is a world class singer! For some reason this is overlooked in gospel music, today. Flat foot singing, he doesn’t have fireworks going off in the background, no dancers on the side of the stage, but he does dress well and sing in pure, sincere excellence!
In R&B, we’d call him a crooner! His smooth voice rarely ventures into a squall and his spiritual conviction mirrors his musical approach. “A Great Work” is an album for believers who as the Apostle Paul ‘know whom they have believed’ (2 Timothy 1:12). Wilson hasn’t shied away from addressing social ills, either. “Heal” was the first single from the album and confronts the current condition of our blood that ‘runs in the street‘. The song bemoans the state of our union and hopes that all generations can find a way to not only heal the current ills, but to live together in harmony.
As a settled soul, a song like “Noise” is the cure for life’s many questions. You may not have experienced it yet, but at a certain point in life, you will! When those questions come, they’ll challenge your conviction to the which you’ll need the confidence that God is doing ‘a great work’ in you. When all else fails, sing the scripture! That’s exactly what Wilson does and it’s phenomenal, as the second single and title track from the album, I’m certain you’ve the GRAMMY nominated song (Best Gospel Performance/Song). Wilson teamed up with Bishop Marvin Winans on “My Witness Is In Heaven“- doesn’t get much smoother in gospel than that…and not one to be behind the times, don’t miss the trap choir on “Increase My Faith“.
Perhaps my favorite song from Wilson’s album is: “Our Father Is Kind” a song he says was inspired by a conversation with Kirk Franklin. “Our father is kind” was Franklin’s answer to Wilson’s query for the success the artist, producer, composer and de facto face of gospel music. Franklin has remained busy since that conversation.
Last year, Franklin celebrated Wilson, Pastor Travis Greene and Jonathan McReynolds as the future of men gospel music. Franklin will once again face off with Wilson for GRAMMY consideration as producer, co-writer and featured artist with Tori Kelly and label executive (Fo Yo Soul) with The Walls Group. Kirk Franklin is again in the mix at GRAMMY time, but as suggested by the 2018 GRAMMY gospel categories, the kids are alright and the future of gospel music will be just fine!
I’ve been wrestling with this for a few years and I want some of you in the music industry to try and help me out, here. Maybe this isn’t the forum and direct to whichever/wherever it happens to be…Roots Gospel music is banjos and fiddles?!? The Recording Academy created the Roots Gospel category to: “provide a category for traditional Southern gospel and other “roots” gospel albums as both a protector of the heritage of this music and an acknowledgement of the growing interest and support of these genres.”
The parameters for nomination consideration are straight forward which easily explains why black traditional gospel artists have almost never been considered: For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.
The rub seems to be access to the music. If traditional black gospel music isn’t on the airwaves, most people don’t even know it’s available. But what about black quartets that travel and sell hard copies of their cd’s each weekend? Is it an accounting issue? Does the gospel community seem interested in helping artists thrive? Should artists expect more from GMWA and SAGMA or are they on their own?
Since its inception in 2015, past winners include: The Fairfield Four (a legendary black quartet), Joey + Rory and Reba McEntire. The gospel music community seems disinterested in the preservation of its roots in its quest to increase its foothold in the mainstream marketplace. Meanwhile, traditional artists not named Pastor Shirley Caesar or Bishop Rance Allen (two artists beloved artists) sometimes struggle to remain visible in this new industry. The sound of the church choir has also been replaced by smaller ensembles and “praise and worship” artists who sometimes change their sound and group composition in hopes of recording deals and radio airplay.
I’m not sure how the gospel community solves this problem. I can’t even guarantee that as a whole, the industry is concerned with engaging The Recording Academy about it or increasing awareness within the gospel community. In the meantime and for another year, the Roots Gospel Category is not reflective of its roots.
This year’s nominees in the Roots Gospel Category are:
• Unexpected Jason Crabb
• Clear Skies Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
• Favorites: Revisited By Request The Isaacs
• Still Standing The Martins
• Love Love Love Gordon Mote
Exactly which ‘roots’ are we talking about, here?!? I mean because Thomas A. Dorsey was a blues musician before he changed his tune to what is now known as gospel so, I have three questions:
1) Why is roots gospel being defined as roots, Americana and Southern Gospel which are not a form of gospel music. Those genres closely resemble country music. 2) Why don’t we see any black quartet/traditional gospel groups in the category? 3) Are the Blind Boys of Alabama the only black gospel quartet the Academy considers in this category? What are we missing?
It needs to be said, the GRAMMY Awards and the Recording Academy are not the Stellar Awards or SAGMA. They have very different criteria, respectively. However, are we at an impasse when we seek to define what roots gospel music is? Apparently, Roots gospel music is not traditional gospel music or “Quartet” music.
Isn’t “Roots Gospel Music” the kind of music, Melvin Williams has been recording the last few years and two albums?!? He’s got a whole documentary about it. But the banjos and fiddles are at it again in the ROOTS Gospel Category. Don’t use the excuse about “it’s on the artist and their team.” It is, but this is where the gospel industry continuously comes up short! Another instance of suburban sprawl…while the industry went chasing a ‘mainstream’ sound and discounted a real connection with listeners in the church, we don’t even have consideration in the most basic category, AGAIN!
Aretha Franklin’s indelible mark on sacred and secular music will be felt forever. She is now immortalized as “The Queen of Soul“, but she was much more than that. She was the Queen of Crossover and in this article, let’s take a didactic look at her career that poignantly defined crossover music.
Much like her predecessors Mahalia Jackson,Sam Cooke and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, she enjoyed success of international church and secular audiences. However, unlike either of them, she achieved a level of success in each genre that never put either at odds with the other. Her sound was the amalgam of sanctified soul. Her career possessed dual roles: she reigned as “The Queen of Soul”, but always made true the saying: “you can always come home!” She was a regular visitor and came home to gospel quite often. As her star shined brightest, the world heard her undeniable roots of the church.
Music needs a label for the sake of commerce, or so it seems. “Labels” or genres point you toward the music you like, the sound you identify with. But what happens when the sound you identify with is singing a song you don’t?
This was the appeal and mystique of the late Ms. Aretha Franklin who became one of the world’s greatest talents and a national treasure at home. Of all the things she became, including the undisputed Queen of Soul, she was always a church girl. Her father’s name is still synonymous with gospel preaching and her playing and singing ever reminiscent of days and nights at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.
“Gospel goes with me wherever I go. Gospel is a constant with me.”
Truly, the sound of black gospel traveled with the Queen everywhere she went and was the strength behind her trademark sound. She left the church so to speak but never left her faith telling the late Gwen Ifill in a 2015 interview “my faith always has been and always will be important to me.” Though we still wrestle with the paradoxical path of saints singing secular songs, Aretha Franklin rose above it all. She took gospel stylings at the mic and piano to heights never before seen and to audiences never before reached. Her fathers words rang true in that she sang before Kings, Popes and other world leaders, and did so with so much because of and with her father’s blessing. It’s not implausible to surmise that her critics’ overwhelming respect for her father outweighed their opinion of her career choice.
Bishop Paul Morton was great friends with Aretha Franklin and has encouraged his son PJ Morton in a similar way Rev. CL Franklin encouraged his daughter. His son has written and produced gospel music for a bevy of artists including Bishop Morton but has found his truest voice singing secular music. One could assume that Bishop Morton would be juxtaposed by his son’s music, but he is not. In fact, he encourages his success, telling the On the Record podcast earlier this year:
When he said he wanted to do secular music, he said “I will not make you ashamed, I know your standard, I’m going to keep it clean and please trust me. I’m going to do it right!” To me, that’s what’s important and that’s where he got me, he said: “Dad, God is love. If God is love, why can’t I sing about love? If love is bad, why does God tell us to love?” So, he got me there and that was the truth and that’s why I really back him as it relates to what he does.
Bishop Paul S. Morton
A lot of people don’t know that the Queen of Soul title was a real thing. Legendary and quite influential Chicago disc jockeys Pervis Spann (left) and E. Rodney Jones (right) officially crowned Aretha Franklin as the Queen of Soul at The Regal Theater in Chicago in the 1960s. -Bill Carpenter (Facebook)
She was truly the Queen of Crossover, never not a part of the church. Not a prodigal, but a promulgator because everywhere she went, people were blessed by her gift. She was released to secular music with a light that she let shine as best she could. Her success in secular music was often celebrated in the church as well; she belonged to the church as much as church belonged to her. Over the span of her 60+ year career, she successfully did what so many artists try to do-live in the balance of what is sacred and secular. It’s not for the faint of heart or spirit, as many succumb to the various vices that haunt the entertainment industry. Her troubled past and life was chronicled in David Ritz’ 2014 biography “Respect” which shed a light on the darkness in her life.
It was that same darkness that spurred the creativity we know and love. Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records had this to say about the Aretha we didn’t know: “I think of Aretha as Our Lady of Mysterious Sorrows. Anguish surrounds Aretha as surely as the glory of her musical aura. But the Queen didn’t need to reveal her secrets or talk about her deepest moments of anguish and joy. It’s all there in her singing, plain as day for everyone to hear.”
None of us are without our own level of personal trials and challenges and not even the reigning queen of soul was exempt. Her ability to rise above and conquer those challenges are also part of what endear her to generations of fans, worldwide. Her inspiration was far reaching and blazed the trail for countless artists who would later grace the world’s stage, with the church as their training ground. The likes of Whitney Houston, Fantasia, and Jennifer Hudson all come to mind.
Aretha Franklin inspired artists like Shirley Murdock and Judy Cheeks who also got their start in church and found immense secular success. The singers took to social media to share a tribute to the Queen and pay homage to her legacy.
“How can I be selfish right now? The most amazing and most talented singer/musician of all time has earned her crown and her wings. I have been blessed by her unselfish obedience to the call on her life my entire life…we have all been touched by God’s love every time she sang a note…We have so much of her still here…We will miss her physical presence, but the gift God gave through her will be here forever…Rest in heavenly peace my Queen…” -Judy Cheeks
“Thank you Queen Aretha Franklin, for being such a prominent piece in the tapestry of my life and career. I attended your master class, as a little girl while sitting next to the hi-fi, under those big air traffic controller looking headphones, eyes closed and mimicking your every note. I was profoundly influenced by how you sang from the depths of your soul.
I remember getting in trouble as a nine-year-old, for singing “Dr. Feelgood” with too much feeling, according to my Mother! But most of all, with all your success, you showed me that I could stay connected to my Gospel roots and relationship with God while sharing my gift with the whole world! You were a gift from up above and now the heavenly choir has been blessed with the gift of a new soloist!” -Shirley Murdock
http://www.abc12.com/video?vid=491080431
A testament to her unyielding connection to the church, A. Jeffrey Lavalley of the New Jerusalem Full Gospel Baptist Church recounts his experiences accompanying the Queen of Soul in this interview for ABC 12 in Flint, Michigan. He is one of gospel music’s profound songwriters and several of his song has become standards in the church and long-standing memories for singers who sharpened their skills in the church choir. He had this to say when asked about Aretha Franklin: “Aretha’s ability to blend gospel and R&B was unique. She could easily slip from one genre to another without missing a beat. She was born to do what she did—sing. Be it classical, soul, pop, jazz and/or gospel, Aretha was simply born to sing.”
She never shied away from her gospel roots, regardless of the genre or content of the song. Gospel shined through in her singing and playing. Ronnette Harrison, a singer and musician in DC had this to say about Franklin’s influence: “Aretha Franklin is such an inspiration as an artist. Her ability to fluidly weave between various genres of music and execute each of them with precision & soul was unmatched. As a female pianist & vocalist myself, I looked up to her. There will NEVER be another Aretha Franklin.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=3gCuyrKVDCs
Aretha Franklin never met a song she couldn’t sing. There were a few she didn’t want to such as “Let It Be”, but she mastered every genre her voice touched, including classical music. Watch her masterful rendition of “Nessun Dorma”.
Throughout her career, she was known for her originals as well as covers. Once she sang a song, it was hers. She didn’t have to be a song’s author to be its owner.Upon hearing her now world-famous cover of “Respect”, Otis Redding remarked: “she done took my song”. She embodied the essence of masterful songwriting and in her touch were all the craftsmanship of hit songwriting. Perhaps eclipsed by the Redding classic, other Franklin signature covered, popularized and re-popularized by Franklin were “Natural Woman” and “You’ve Got a Friend” (Precious Lord) by Carole King, Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Until You Come Back to Me by Stevie Wonder.
Rena Scott whose current single is the latter said this about Franklin: “Aretha was my musical Idol and Mentor. I loved her so much I started in a Baptist church like she did in Detroit, Michigan. I started singing when I was 12 years old, I listened to every Aretha Franklin song she ever recorded. I wanted to be just like her. I got an opportunity to work with her in 1978 singing background at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Pine Knob resort in upper Michigan. She invited us to her home and cooked for us. She then flew us to Southern, California to do background on her upcoming album. I didn’t want to leave her side. I just looked at everything she did. That was one of the best moments of my life to sing with my Idol Aretha Franklin. I will always love you Aretha.”
Aretha Franklin was one of the church’s greatest exports and though her fame was achieved on a larger scale as a secular artists, she was always welcomed home. It was never strange to see Ms. Franklin in a church in Detroit. In 1994, at the death of their mother, The Clark Sisters tapped her to sing during their mother’s funeral- a legend in her own right, the late Mattie Moss-Clark. Some of her greatest gospel work came alongside the late Reverend James Cleveland and their friendship extended well beyond the sanctuary and bandstand.
Aretha Franklin’s “Amazing Grace” on Atlantic Records
Their work was quintessential and the 1972’s double platinum release “Amazing Grace” recorded at Rev. Cleveland’s church and backed by his choir still stands as Franklin’s top selling album, replete with classic renditions of “Precious Memories” and the title track have proven timeless.
“The relationship my dad had with Ms. Aretha was far more than a working relationship, it was a genuine FRIENDSHIP! I will always cherish the wonderful things she said about my father when she called me after his passing! I will never forget attending her son Eddy’s wedding with my dad at her home in California! I can honestly say she’s the reason I took a liking to quiche! Ms. Aretha could sing and cook! I’m going to miss her, but I’ll never forget her! She’s resting in heaven with her father and mine!” -Lashone Cleveland
The one thing I admire about Ms Franklin, was she always stay connected to the church & to her heritage of the church & to the artists that help shape her, like James Cleveland & Ms Clara Ward who was her major influence in gospel & music…she always cherished the icons before her & reminded the new generation to embrace their work, just like she did. -Archie Swindell, Radio Veteran
She never had to be anyone else, on or off stage. She was true to herself regardless of the circumstance and the world got beautiful music because of it. As a musician, a consummate professional and she surrounded herself with much of the same. “Amazing Grace” was replete with world-class musicians, singers and talent all around. A band comprised notables such as the King of Gospel, the Reverend James Cleveland, Chuck Rainey on bass, Cornell Dupree on guitar (you know his famous guitar riff on the intro of “Respect”), Pancho Morales on percussion and Bernard Purdie on drums. On her 1987 release “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”, Rev. Thomas Whitfield joined on organ, punctuating a stout appreciation for musicality and excellence in performance.
Producer, composer and musician Sanchez Harley shared this admonition from the Queen: “Sanchez, perfect is not perfect” Words of wisdom spoken to me by Ms. Franklin. I bless God for the special and treasured blessing of choosing me to be just a small part of her musical legacy. The greatest voice of “our time” is not adequate. “The greatest instrument “of all time” is more appropriate. Thank you, Ms. Franklin for sharing your extraordinary gifts unselfishly with the world.” -Sanchez Harley
Aretha Franklin’s Gospel Discography: “Never Grow Old”-1956, JVB/Checker Records “Amazing Grace”- 1972, Atlantic Records “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism”- 1987, Arista Records
Our rose will forever be a rose, put some respect on her name. She’s the Queen of soul, crossover and the hearts of music lovers everywhere! Funeral plans are still developing, here’s what we know.
-‘Fred
Commemorative video of Aretha Franklin, courtesy of TIME Magazine
