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63-417: The Jackson Southernaires is an American traditional black gospel music group from Jackson, Mississippi , producer Frank Crisler formed the group in 1940, yet they did not become active until 1969, with the release of Too Late by Song Bird Records . At its inception, The group consisted of five members; Huey Williams, Roger Bryant Jr., Maurice Surrell, James Burks, and Luther Jennings. The group received

126-492: A Grammy Award nomination for the Best Traditional Gospel Album at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards , for the album Thank You Mama for Praying for Me . (*) – Denotes a Grammy Award nomination, for that particular album Traditional black gospel Like other forms of music, the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. It

189-461: A Collector of Internal Revenue. In 1863 Sankey joined his father in government service and, that same year, married Fanny Edwards, a member of his choir. Back in New Castle, Sankey developed a local reputation as a singer, much in demand in churches and revival meetings. In 1867, when a local branch of YMCA was formed, Sankey became its secretary and later its president. As president, in 1870 he

252-501: A compiler and editor of popular hymn collections, in particular Sacred Songs and Solos and Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs . The proceeds from these publishing ventures were used for a range of charitable purposes. After Moody's death, Sankey attempted to carry on the work alone but was defeated by ill-health and the eventual loss of his eyesight. He died in 1908. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1980. Sankey

315-563: A considerable fortune, much of which he used for benefactions. These included a new YMCA building in New Castle, a building plot for the erection of a new Methodist Episcopal Church there, and large donations to the Moody schools in Northfields. The centenary of Sankey's birth was celebrated in New Castle in 1940. Choirs from over 30 churches participated, and Sankey's portable organ was used as accompaniment. The 150th anniversary of his birth in 1990

378-414: A gospel song collection Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs , consisting of 131 numbers. Over the next 15 years, working with various associates, he produced five supplements to this work, and a complete edition of all six parts in 1894, this last containing 794 numbers. These collections, which included the hymns of Bliss, Crosby and many other writers, were very successful commercially. In 1895 Sankey assumed

441-770: A halt. This pandemic continued for over 2 years. By the time it was concluded, the lives of few past group members had settled elsewhere. At this time, a few of The Southernaires’ musicians decided to take on the task of being background vocals and continue touring. The Jackson, Mississippi -based traditional black gospel group, The Jackson Southernaires was founded by record producer, Frank Crisler, in 1940. They did not start actively recording and releasing music until 1969. The group at its inception included Huey Williams, Roger Bryant Jr., Maurice Surrell, James Burks, and Luther Jennings, Dr. Gary Miles, Granard McClendon, Melvin Wilson. The group has released 28 albums from 1969 until 2010, with

504-660: A major campaign in Chicago, as part of the World's Columbian Exposition . Once more the strain on Sankey's voice was too great, causing his temporary withdrawal. But despite ill health he continued to work with Moody, at a lower degree of intensity, until the time of the latter's death in December 1899. Their final campaign together was in Kansas City , a month before Moody's death. As a tribute to his long-time partner, Sankey wrote and composed

567-581: A major influence on early rhythm and blues artists, particularly the "bird groups" such as the Orioles , the Ravens and the Flamingos , who applied gospel quartets' a cappella techniques to pop songs in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. These groups based their music on sounds they had been singing in church and were now releasing gospel-styled reworking of songs for a secular audience. The influence of gospel

630-528: A meeting of 20,000 in London, but as the tour progressed his health failed him and he returned to his home in Brooklyn. He continued to do editorial work, but by 1903 he had lost his eyesight to glaucoma . Despite this, he managed to complete a book of memoirs, My Life and Sacred Songs , which was published in 1906. Sankey died at Brooklyn on August 13, 1908, just short of his 68th birthday. His funeral took place at

693-466: A message from Moody asking him to come back to Chicago and resume the partnership. He did so and worked with Moody in the revival of churches in Chicago, Springfield and elsewhere. In October 1872 Sankey moved his family permanently to Chicago. Moody made plans to visit the British Isles in 1873 for a series of missions. He did not initially intend to take Sankey as his musical associate, preferring

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756-453: A newspaper while traveling on a train in Scotland during the first British tour. At the meeting that evening, when Moody requested that he sing, "I had nothing suitable in mind ... At this moment I seemed to hear a voice saying "Sing the hymn you found on the train": I lifted my heart in prayer, asking God to help me so to sing so that the people might hear and understand. Laying my hands upon

819-531: A nomination for a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Gospel Album category at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards . The group has released 28 albums, including their 2010 release, Back Again , with Blackberry Records. Eleven albums have charted on the Billboard magazine charts, only on the Gospel Albums chart. In late 2019, the world was hit with a pandemic known as Covid-19. By early 2020, all music tours came to

882-482: A number of individual artists, such as James Cleveland , who went on to change the face of gospel in the decades that followed. Gospel started to break way from the traditional church setting, choirs, and just singing hymns. There were more solo artists that emerged during these decades, and during this period marked the end of the heyday of traditional gospel, making way for contemporary gospel . Gospel artists, who had been influenced by pop music trends for years, had

945-427: A pioneer, initially selling millions of records with her ability to drive audiences into hysteria by sliding and bending her pitch as well as accompanying herself on steel guitar. In contrast, Mahalia Jackson used her dusky contralto voice to develop her gospel ballads as well as favouring a more joyful approach to singing the gospel . W. Herbert Brewster wrote " Move on Up a Little Higher " Jackson's first hit. At

1008-546: A prominent bass. Quartet singers combined both individual virtuoso performances and innovative harmonic and rhythmic invention—what Ira Tucker Sr. and Paul Owens of the Hummingbirds called "trickeration"—that amplified both the emotional and musical intensity of their songs. By the 1940s, gospel music had expanded to members of all denominations prompting Black gospel artists to begin tours and becoming full-time musicians. In this venture Sister Rosetta Tharpe became

1071-522: A rock 'n' roll singer, he only received awards for his gospel recordings. Individual gospel artists, such as Sam Cooke , a former member of the Soul Stirrers , and secular artists who borrowed heavily from gospel, such as Ray Charles , James Brown , James Booker and Jackie Wilson , had an even greater impact later in the 1950s, helping to create soul music by bringing even more gospel inspired harmonies and traditions from rhythm and blues. Many of

1134-585: A setting of Horatius Bonar 's hymn "Yet There is Room". The tour extended over two years, with meetings in most of the main British cities. When it reached London, congregations included many of the most prominent in the land, including Queen Victoria , the Princess of Wales , and the statesman William Ewart Gladstone . Moody and Sankey returned home in the summer of 1875, to considerable acclaim after their successful British tour, and quickly established themselves as

1197-445: A small portable reed organ . An important part of the song ministry was the congregational singing, always a significant feature of campaign meetings. Sankey chose hymns with accessible tunes that were easy to learn and insisted that the accompanying music be played softly, to emphasize the message of the words. Sankey's methods had a marked effect on church music and were widely adopted by later generations of revivalist singers. In

1260-403: A sound vocal technique; a contemporary description refers to "an exceptionally strong baritone", while a newspaper review of the times wrote that "he expresses the gospel message with exquisite skill and pathos ... but the secret of Mr. Sankey's power lies not in his gift of the song but in the spirit of which the song is only the expression". According to Sankey: "Before I sing, I must feel, and

1323-642: A style that melded traditional religious themes with barrelhouse, blues and boogie-woogie techniques and brought jazz instruments, such as drums and horns, into the church. Thomas Dorsey stretched the boundaries in his day to create great gospel music, choirs, and quartets. Talented vocalists have been singing these songs far beyond Dorsey's expectations. Dorsey, who had once composed for and played piano behind blues giants Tampa Red , Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith , worked hard to develop this new music, organizing an annual convention for gospel artists, touring with Martin to sell sheet music and gradually overcoming

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1386-444: Is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment product for the marketplace. However, a common theme as with most Christian music is praise, worship or thanks to God and Christ. Traditional gospel music was popular in the mid-20th century. It is the primary source for urban contemporary gospel and Christian hip hop , which rose in popularity during

1449-682: Is that of a newspaper published towards the end of the first British tour: "Music in his hands is ... the handmaid of the gospel and the voice of the heart." Sankey began to compose hymn tunes during the first Moody-Sankey tour of Britain in 1873–1875. On a few occasions he wrote his own words, but more commonly he used verses provided by well-known hymn writers. The "1200" version of Sacred Songs and Solos includes nearly 200 of Sankey's settings of hymns by writers such as Horatius Bonar, Fanny Crosby, Elizabeth C. Clephane , Robert Lowry , John Greenleaf Whittier , Frances Ridley Havergal and many others. These hymns include "The Ninety and Nine", "Beneath

1512-572: The blues as well as in the more freewheeling forms of religious devotion of "Sanctified" or " Holiness " churches—sometimes called "holy rollers" by other denominations — who encouraged individual church members to "testify", speaking or singing spontaneously about their faith and experience of the Holy Ghost and " Getting Happy ", sometimes while dancing in celebration. In the 1920s Sanctified artists, such as Arizona Dranes , many of whom were also traveling preachers, started making records in

1575-538: The 18th and 19th centuries. Some spirituals were also used to pass on hidden messages; for example, when Harriet Tubman was nearby, slaves would sing "Go Down, Moses" to signify that a 'deliverer' was nearby. At this time, the term "gospel songs" referred to evangelical hymns sung by Protestant (Congregational and Methodist) Christians, especially those with a missionary theme. Gospel composers included writers like Ira D. Sankey and Mason Lowry, and Charles B. Tindell. Hymns, Protestant gospel songs, and spirituals make up

1638-465: The 21st century. Sankey, born in Pennsylvania, was an amateur singer and church worker when he was recruited by Moody in 1870 after the latter heard him sing at a convention. Until Moody died in 1899 the two campaigned together, Moody preaching while Sankey sang both old and new hymns, inspired by writers such as Fanny Crosby and Philip Bliss . Sankey also became a prolific composer of hymn tunes, and

1701-637: The Black gospel period because this was the most prosperous era for gospel music. The message of many of the civil rights activists was supported by the message gospel music was putting forth. The new gospel music composed by Dorsey and others proved very important among quartets, who began turning in a new direction. Groups such as the Dixie Hummingbirds , Pilgrim Travelers , Soul Stirrers , Swan Silvertones , Sensational Nightingales and Five Blind Boys of Mississippi introduced even more stylistic freedom to

1764-549: The Cross of Jesus", "Hiding in Thee", "A Shelter in the Time of Storm" and "While the days are going by". Sankey's settings are eminently recognizable, characteristic features being simple melodies combined with strong and vigorous rhythms that reflected the popular music of the time, and which according to the British poet John Betjeman , invoked "that well-known principle of denying the devil all

1827-497: The LaFayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, which he had joined in his final years, and he was buried in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery. At Fanny Sankey's request a memorial window, depicting "The Ninety and Nine", was placed in New Castle's First Methodist Church; the window was retained when the church was rebuilt in the 1990s. In Sankey's view, he and Moody were both preachers; the only difference, he said,

1890-563: The Moody–Sankey mission, Moody preached and Sankey sang. Late in 1871, mission work was interrupted by the Great Chicago Fire , which destroyed 18,000 buildings, killed around 300 people, and left a third of the city's population homeless. Sankey watched the conflagration from a small boat in which he rowed out into Lake Michigan . The fire destroyed Moody's church, and Sankey returned temporarily to New Castle. However, he soon received

1953-563: The Pilgrim Travelers' song "I've Got A New Home", or the Doc Pomus song Ray Charles turned into a hit " Lonely Avenue ", or " Stand By Me ", which Ben E. King and Leiber and Stoller adapted from a well-known gospel song, or Marvin Gaye 's " Can I Get a Witness ", which reworks traditional gospel catchphrases. In other cases secular musicians did the opposite, attaching phrases and titles from

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2016-409: The [tabernacle] for blacks. D.L. has them sing alone, sometimes just to show the white people how to sing". The campaign made a second visit to Britain in 1881. The schedule was similar to that which had been followed on the first British tour, involving mass rallies in a large number of cities. This time, the pair's popularity and renown assured them of full houses wherever they went. One innovation

2079-448: The age of eight, he began attending Sunday school. When he was 19, Ira underwent an experience of religious conversion at a revivalist meeting held at a nearby church, King's Chapel. A year later the family moved to New Castle , where the young Sankey joined the local Methodist Episcopal Church . His enthusiasm and talents were quickly recognized and led to his appointment as Sunday school superintendent and choirmaster. In 1861, at

2142-607: The basic source of modern Black gospel. 1. Song - Go down Moses 2. Song - Deep river 3. Song - Golden slippers 4. Song - Steal away 1. Song - Oh Jonah 2. Song - We Are Americans, Praise the Lord 3. Song - Lead Me to That Rock 4. Song - Death Come a-Knockin What most African Americans would identify today as "gospel" began in the early 20th century. The gospel music that Thomas A. Dorsey , Sallie Martin , Willie Mae Ford Smith and other pioneers popularized had its roots in

2205-417: The best tunes". His compositional method was heavily dependent upon what he termed "inspiration"; he carried a notebook in which he would jot down snatches of melody that came to him during the day's activities, and would develop them later when time allowed. Sometimes he would improvise a melody; one of his best-known hymns, "The Ninety and Nine", was composed in this way. He found Elizabeth Clephane's poem in

2268-582: The close harmonies of jubilee style, adding ad libs and using repeated short phrases in the background to maintain a rhythmic base for the innovations of the lead singers. Melodically, gospel songs from this era were more diatonic and conjunct. As "the spirit leads the vocalist" the melodies would become more chromatic and disjunct, evoking pure spiritual emotion that was congruent with the accompanying body or musicians. Individual singers also stood out more as jubilee turned to "hard gospel" and as soloists began to shout more and more, often in falsettos anchored by

2331-479: The feeling within a song transmitted to the listener. During the 1970s, artists like Edwin Hawkins with the 1969 hit " Oh Happy Day ", and Andraé Crouch 's hit "Take me Back" were big inspirations on gospel music and crossover successes. Both Hawkins and Crouch incorporated secular music styles into gospel, shaping modern contemporary christian music today. Secular songwriters often appropriated gospel songs, such as

2394-649: The following labels: Song Bird Records , Malaco Records , MCA Records , Redemption Records, and Blackberry Records. Of these albums, eleven charted on the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart, and those were, Made in Mississippi , Greatest Hits , Lord We Need Your Blessing , Hear Our Prayers O Lord , Power Packed , On the Third Day , Thank You Mama for Praying for Me , Live and Anointed , The Word in Song , The Brothers Dream...Alive , and Warrior . The group received

2457-550: The gospel tradition to secular songs to create soul hits such as " Come See About Me " for The Supremes and "99½ Won't Do" for Wilson Pickett . When roots music (which including spirituals) became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, a combination of the powerful rhythm and timbres found in spirituals and "hard gospel" combined with the instrumentation and lyrical content of R&B and country contributed to various forms of rock music. See also: General: Ira D. Sankey Ira David Sankey (August 28, 1840 – August 13, 1908)

2520-458: The gospel" became a popular feature of the services. To familiarise the congregations with the words of new hymns by Bliss, Fanny Crosby and others, Sankey published a short collection of the favorite numbers, under the title Sacred Songs and Solos . The collection was much expanded in later editions, eventually comprising 1,200 pieces. While in Scotland , Sankey composed his first gospel song,

2583-560: The hymn "Out of the Shadowlands" for Moody's funeral. In 1898, accompanied by family and friends, Sankey traveled to Egypt and Palestine on an extended trip which, on the return journey, included visits to Constantinople , Athens and Rome . In Jerusalem , Sankey ascended the Tower of David , where he sang Psalm 121 to a bemused Ottoman guard. The following year, after Moody's death, he embarked on his final visit to Britain and addressed

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2646-427: The hymn must be of such kind as I know I can send home what I feel into the hearts of those who listen". His technique for communicating this feeling involved the clearest possible enunciation, with careful use of pauses for dramatic effect: "You've got to make them hear every word and see every picture ... Then you'll get that silence of death, that quiet before God". For his solos, Sankey would accompany himself on

2709-468: The late 20th century and early 21st century. The origins of gospel music are during American slavery, when enslaved Africans were introduced to the Christian religion and converted in large numbers. Remnants of different African cultures were combined with Western Christianity, with one result being the emergence of the spiritual . Jubilee songs and sorrow songs were two type of spirituals that emerged during

2772-552: The leading revivalists of their times. Beginning with a rally in Moody's hometown of Northfield, Massachusetts , revival meetings were held during the following years in towns and cities the length and breadth of the United States, with excursions over the borders into Canada and Mexico. Meetings in the southern states were subject to racial segregation. Concerning a meeting in Meridian, Mississippi , Sankey noted: "we have one side of

2835-409: The more somber hymn-singing. These groups also absorbed popular sounds from pop groups such as The Mills Brothers and produced songs that mixed conventional religious themes, humor and social and political commentary. They began to show more and more influence from gospel as they incorporated the new music into their repertoire. In the 1930s gospel music of the civil rights movement was referred to as

2898-399: The most prominent soul artists, such as Aretha Franklin , Otis Redding , Marvin Gaye , Stevie Wonder , Wilson Pickett and Al Green , had roots in the church and gospel music and brought with them much of the vocal styles of artists such as Clara Ward and Julius Cheeks . The underlying virtues of soul/R&B music taken from gospel, is the direct emotional delivery, truth to a spirit and

2961-510: The organ I struck the chord of A flat and began to sing. Note by note the tune was given, which has not changed from that day to this. As the singing ceased a great sigh seemed to go up from the meeting, and I knew that my song had reached the hearts of my Scottish audience. The publishing successes in Britain with Sacred Songs and Solos prompted Sankey to make a similar venture in the United States. In 1876, in collaboration with Bliss, he published

3024-405: The presidency of Biglow & Main , America's leading publisher of Sunday school music. Sankey's career as a gospel singer contradicts the commonly held assumption that gospel music originated within the black communities in the southern states. Rather, as Mel R. Wilhoit points out, its source is found "in the context of Northern, urban, white revivalism of the nineteenth century" in which Sankey

3087-475: The resistance of more conservative churches to what many of them considered sinful, worldly music. Combining the sixteen bar structure and blues modes and rhythms with religious lyrics, Dorsey's compositions opened up possibilities for innovative singers such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe to apply their very individual talents to his songs, while inspiring church members to "shout" — either to call out catch phrases or to add musical lines of their own in response to

3150-406: The same time that quartet groups were reaching their zenith in the 1940s and 1950s, a number of women singers were achieving stardom. Some, such as Mahalia Jackson and Bessie Griffin , were primarily soloists, while others, such as Clara Ward , Albertina Walker , The Caravans , The Davis Sisters and Dorothy Love Coates , sang in small groups. While some groups, such as The Ward Singers, employed

3213-573: The secular world, not every listener was captivated by Sankey's singing style. A.N. Wilson , in his social history of the Victorian era, quotes a contemporary pamphlet from an anonymous "London Physician" which is dismissive of both Moody and Sankey. Having characterized Moody as a ranter and "a third-rate star", the writer goes on: "As for Mr. Sankey ... his voice is decidedly bad, and, like all worn-out singers he endeavors to conceal this by startling alternations of high and low notes". Against this judgment

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3276-468: The services of the more experienced gospel singers Philip Phillips or Philip Bliss . Neither was available, so Sankey was taken. The tour got off to a slow start; barely 50 people attended the first rally, held in York, and this congregation was unused to the kind of gospel songs – "human hymns" – that Sankey introduced. Gradually, however, the British public was won over, halls were filled, and Sankey's "singing

3339-473: The session, Moody demanded that the young man join him in his mission work: "I have been looking for you for the last eight years". Unable to decide on the spur of the moment, Sankey returned to New Castle and pondered Moody's challenge for six months before deciding to return to Chicago for a week's trial with Moody. Before the week was up he resigned his government post and threw in his lot with Moody's mission, thus beginning their lifelong partnership. Within

3402-399: The singers. This looser style affected other Black religious musical styles as well. The most popular groups in the 1930s were male quartets or small groups such as The Golden Gate Quartet , who sang, usually unaccompanied, in jubilee style, mixing careful harmonies, melodious singing, playful syncopation and sophisticated arrangements to produce a fresh, experimental style far removed from

3465-449: The sort of theatrics and daring group dynamics that male quartet groups used, for the most part women gospel singers relied instead on overpowering technique and dramatic personal witness to establish themselves. Roberta Martin in Chicago stood apart from other women gospel singers in many respects. She led groups that featured both men and women singers, employed an understated style that did not stress individual virtuosity, and sponsored

3528-532: The start of the American Civil War , Sankey answered President Lincoln 's call for volunteers and joined the Twelfth Pennsylvania Regiment. He served between 1861 and 1863. In the army he continued his religious and singing activities, forming a choir and assisting the chaplain. When his period of enlistment was over he returned to New Castle, where his father had been appointed by Lincoln as

3591-455: Was a delegate at a national conference held in Indianapolis , where he encountered the noted preacher Dwight L. Moody for the first time. Moody was instantly impressed as Sankey demonstrated his ability to enliven an audience rendered soporific by inactivity and overlong prayers by giving an impromptu rendering of the hymn " There is a fountain filled with blood ". Meeting Sankey at the end of

3654-473: Was a principal figure. Although new musical idioms developed in the later 20th century and subsequently, Sankey's influence persists, particularly in southern evangelical churches, well into the 21st century. The revivalist model that Moody and Sankey introduced established a paradigm for the conduct of rallies and services in evangelical churches for generations. From the sales of his various hymn collections, which totaled over 50 million copies, Sankey acquired

3717-470: Was an American gospel singer and composer, known for his long association with Dwight L. Moody in a series of religious revival campaigns in America and Britain during the closing decades of the 19th century. Sankey was a pioneer in the introduction of a musical style that influenced church services and evangelical campaigns for generations, and the hymns that he wrote or popularized continued to be sung well into

3780-451: Was apparent in new versions of pop standards or new songs in a pop style. Elvis Presley , Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard were rock 'n' roll pioneers with a religious background. Like other artists, these pioneers were stylistically influenced by gospel and it contributed to their music. Elvis was successful in performing his gospel favorites, "Why me Lord", How Great Thou Art , and "You'll never walk alone". For all of his success as

3843-518: Was born in Edinburg, Pennsylvania , on August 28, 1840, one of nine children of David Sankey and his wife Mary Leeper Sankey. The family's ancestry was English on the father's side and a mix of Scottish and Irish on the mother's. David Sankey was a banker, a former state senator and a Methodist lay preacher. As a young boy Ira displayed a love of music that was encouraged by his parents, who typically spent evenings with him at home, singing hymns. At

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3906-412: Was that "[Moody] reaches men's hearts with words that are spoken, while I reach them with words that are sung." Sankey lacked formal voice training; the only tuition that he received was likely during his attendance at a 12-week session run by George Frederick Root , Lowell Mason , and William Bradbury , which prepared potential music teachers and choirmasters for their work. Nevertheless, he possessed

3969-692: Was the construction of a portable tabernacle, capable of seating up to 5,000 people, which was transported from city to city. Towards the end of the tour Sankey's voice broke down and he was forced to return to the United States, where he and his family bought a house in Brooklyn , New York. For the next few years, he spent his winters there and the summers with Moody, either in Northfield or on campaigns. A third British tour took place in 1891, involving meetings in 99 towns. Again, Sankey overstrained himself and had to return home early. In 1893 Moody and Sankey conducted

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