Dave's Top Eight

1. Jerry Reed...Revisited by Darrell Toney (reviewed 6/07) (5 Stars)
2. Sounds Like Sunday by Janet Paschal (reviewed 5/07) (5 Stars)
3. True To The Call by Kingdom Heirs (reviewed 3/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
4. Revival by Gold City (reviewed 10/06) (4 1/2 Stars)
5. Get Away Jordan by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (reviewed 2/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
6. Breakin' Chains by Three Bridges (reviewed 5/07) (4 1/2 Stars)
7. Big Sky by The Isaacs (reviewed 4/07)
8. Skywriting by Mercy's Well (reviewed 7/07)

Click title to purchase at CBD.com...click artist name to read Dave's Review. A CD will automatically fall out of the Top Eight after twelve months if no CD surpasses it before then.

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April 26, 2007

The Christian/SG/BG Genre Myth

Daniel Mount blogs on John Styll's comments regarding Southern Gospel, Black Gospel, and the "umbrella" of all other forms of Christian music. Mount found Styll's original comments at Nashville's Channel 2 television station's website. (You can also view a video of the news story at that link.)

"John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association, defines gospel music, not as genre, but as a huge umbrella that today covers every conceivable musical style.

He said, “Christian refers to a message to the lyrical content not so much the musical form.”

According to Styll, there are only two genres of gospel music; the black gospel of Mahalia Jackson and the southern gospel of the Blackwood Brothers."

Styll is halfway correct.

Gospel/Christian music in general is not a genre. "Christian Rap" is mostly just bad attempts at rap with Christian lyrics, for example. Come to think of it, I could shorten that label to something more accurately descriptive, but I won't, since this is a family oriented website.

I kid!...I actually own some Christian rap.

(I don't own any modern rock, beside which rap looks tamer and tamer as the days go by, though. Watch that video and you'll hopefully see why.)

Back to the point...
I agree with Styll that Gospel/Christian music in general is not a genre. But by the same arguments he poses for the "umbrella" of Gospel music not being a genre, neither is Black Gospel or Southern Gospel. The musical style of the Blackwood Brothers wasn't unique to Gospel music. It was much like the pop music of the same era. In fact, the Blackwood Brothers got their big break by winning American Idol. (OK, so it wasn't called American Idol, back then...it was Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts.)

More than just a few groups had regular radio broadcasts where they sang both pop music and Gospel during those days. This has generally endured within Bluegrass and to a degree in Country where artists like Randy Travis, the Oak Ridge Boys and others have incorporated a healthy dose of Gospel music in their performances. You see very little of this in mainstream pop or other more recently popularized styles, though. When a Christian star like Amy Grant or Sonya Isaacs attempts to cross over with a song that appeals to mainstream audiences, their existing Gospel fans protest loudly. Grant is an example of one artist who overcame this obstacle. Isaacs, so far, is not.

Granted, Styll attempts to label Black Gospel and Southern Gospel as genres due to what he believes to be common lyrical characteristics, but if that's the case, why is every other musical genre on earth primarily defined by the musical style? You don't define rap by lyrics primarily...you define it by the style in which those lyrics are delivered. Ditto for Country, disco, etc.

There has never been a popular musical style that was reserved only for Gospel music and there never will be. At some point, sooner or later, a popular style that was considered to be exclusive for Gospel or secular WILL be repackaged. The original American music form known as the Negro Spiritual ultimately influenced styles that became the Blues and Jazz. Going back even further, J S Bach wrote music for the church as well as instrumental music with no innate spiritual connotations whatsoever. What's sacred about Bach's two part invention in A-minor? Nothing.

By the way, it's also a bit funny when you look at the entry for "music genre" on Wikipedia after reading or hearing Styll's comments. Contemporary Christian Music IS listed as a genre, but the only two Gospel genres (according to Styll) aren't.

Hey, they got it wrong, too. :o)

That being said, I guess I expected more in terms of accuracy from the head of the Gospel Music Association than from Wikipedia on this particular topic.

Additional source material for your consideration:
1. The blog of the reporter who did the story on GMA week.
2. www.dictionary.com definition of "genre"

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posted by David Bruce Murray @ 1:14:00 AM


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