Originating from the blending of Christian hymns, Protestant Christian tradition, and African American spiritual songs, the gospel is a widely acknowledged and incredibly unique musical genre. Rooted in spiritual music, gospel, the gospel had a big impact on the soul, rock’n’roll, hip hop, and popular music. In the 20th century gospel compositions inspired many performers to create impassioned gospel covers and musicians to create new beautiful songs, merging elements of gospel with country, soul, r&b, and hip-hop.
Gospel is an authentic genre that broke cultural, national, and religious barriers and has a vibrant history. Even if your tastes are far from Christian hymns and you are more into rap, pop, or hip-hop music and casino slots than church melodies and harmonies, gospel compositions can uplift your spirit. If you want to know more about the origins of the gospel, continue reading this article. If not, check this list of the greatest gospel songs of all time to enjoy*.
Gospel music appeared in the late 19th century and developed in the first third of the 20th century in the United States. It is common to distinguish between African American (“black”) gospel and white gospel traditions. What is common is that both were born in the Methodist churches of the American South, although black and white gospel music had different roots. The black gospel genre developed in the 1930s in the African American church environment and continued the tradition of spirituals. The first performers of gospel songs were representatives of the enslaved African American population of America, who attended church liturgies in Methodist churches and sang at church services back to the preacher. Thus, by the end of the 19th century, most African Americans attended the liturgies of the Holiness religious movement.
The Old Testament texts resonated in their hearts, as people found a parallel between the fate of the Jewish people, who were oppressed by the Egyptians, and their fates. A major influence on the development of the black gospel tradition was the emigration of African Americans after the American Civil War northward to such cities as New York and Chicago. Chicago would later become one of the centers of gospel music. Thomas Dorsey (1899-1933) and Charles Tindley (1851-1933), a Methodist minister and composer who wrote lyrics and melodies, are considered the founders of black gospel as a musical genre.
Thomas Dorsey, labeled as „the Father of Gospel Music“, was born in Atlanta. Son of a Baptist preacher and music teacher, and jazz musician by profession, he created more than 2.500 songs. Among them are widely known gospel classics, which were covered by many notable singers: “Oh Happy Day” (Aretha Franklin) and“Take My Hand, Precious Lord” (performed by Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, and Beyonce). White gospel as a genre of purely religious music developed in the late 19th century from a mixture of folk melodies and Christian hymns. In time, gospel found a full-fledged niche in the market of the music industryThe queen of the genre is deservedly considered Mahalia Jackson, who single-handedly brought black gospel from the churches of Chicago to the world. Her followers were Marion Williams, Della Reese (who repeatedly hit the American charts with her hits), Ruthie Foster (who managed to combine country, gospel, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll in her albums), and many other performers. Bright representatives of gospel music of the 20th century were George Shea, sometimes called “America’s Most Beloved Gospel Singer,” the Rangers, Yanceyville’s Badgett Sisters, and The Kingsmen’s Quartet. Two separate genres of gospel music were once very interconnected: black gospel was less commercialized and was a powerful expression of African-American culture. Many prominent singers and composers, for example, Mahalia Jackson of the Black gospel, were also human rights activists who were very concerned about the plight of African Americans. As gospel music became more popular, the boundaries between the movements blurred. Since the late 1990s, new genres of country, folk, and jazz-style gospel have emerged within the gospel.
This musical genre has launched the careers of many composers and singers worldwide and influenced many musical genres. What makes the Gospel so unique? With roots in Christian music traditions, this genre has many varieties: that’s why it gave composers and performers many opportunities for Musical improvisation. The base for gospel music is the lyrics inspired by the Old Testament, and gospel chores provide just a skeletal outline for this genre. The musical instruments which can be found in gospel music are the organ, piano, tambourine, drums, and bass guitar.
*Making a list of the greatest gospel songs is a near-impossible task because there are so many brilliant gospel compositions to enjoy… Moreover, gospel music is always changing and continues to inspire many musicians and performers. However, here is our subjective list of the significant gospel compositions to enjoy:
“Take My Hand, Precious Lord” by Thomas A. Dorsey
“I Saw The Light” by Hank Williams
“I’m Too Close” by Alex Bradford
“Touch the Hem of His Garment” by Sam Cooke
“Higher Ground” by Stevie Wonder
“We Fall Down” by Donnie McClurkin
“Never Give Up” by Yolanda Adams
“When Mama Prayed” by Randy Travis
“Everybody’s Gonna Have a Wonderful Time Up There” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe (
“Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen” by Louis Armstrong
“Sinnerman” by Nina Simone
“Give Me That Old Time Religion” by Etta Games
“Mansion Over the Hilltop” by Elvis Presley
“I Know Who I Am” by Sinach