Urban Gospel Music in Black Communities
For the best in Urban Gospel Music tune into A Better Gospel online radio. Black church communities have long used Urban Gospel music in congregations, and in the 1920s and 1930s, Black gospel music was recorded, and it gained acknowledgment. During World War II, black gospel music peaked in its popularity. Many cities experienced a Great Migration from the South to the North that led to the expansion of gospel music.
During the 1950s and 1960, mainstream music was introduced to many gospel artists such as Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and Little Richard. Each of these artists, and many others like them, perfected their talents by singing with Pentecostal and Baptist gospel choirs. This eventually solidified the groundwork for rock music and secular R&B. Soul music felt gospel music’s effects in the 1960s.
Thanks to gospel music artists such as Yolanda Adams, Edwin Hawkins, and others in the 1970s, gospel music became entangled with the era’s music styles – contemporary R&B and hip-hop. Its influence is still seen and heard in today’s music in the form of four kinds of gospel music:
- British Gospel – The Gospel music heard in the UK comes from the ancestry of those from African and Caribbean nations, and the UK Black communities have ensured its popularity.
- Country Gospel – This kind of music comes about when Christian themes are highlighted in country music. It’s not unusual for country music artists to divide their focus and time between mainstream country music and spiritual music.
- Traditional Gospel – Black churches have kept strong ties with traditional gospel music, with their energetic hand-clapping, rollicking instruments, social issues, call-and-response, and more. The music is riffed with traditional hymns such as “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” and “Amazing Grace.”
- Urban Contemporary Gospel – Today’s influence of gospel music comes from contemporary R&B and hip-hop music, usually working in cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. Due to the crossover sound that is similar to contemporary pop songs, they’ve managed to score hits on the charts.
You can find the best in Urban Contemporary Gospel Music by tuning into Houston Texas’s hottest free internet radio station. A Better Gospel.
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