GOSPEL MUSIC IS GOOD BUT BLACK GOSPEL MUSIC ROCKS!

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Growing up in North Braddock exposed me to r&b music, which would not have happened had we stayed in the predominantly white Mount Pleasant. My older sister, Diane, and younger brother, Dan, embraced this music more quickly than I did. But it did not take long for me to warm up to the quartet sounds of the Temptations, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Impressions, Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and Gladys Knight & the Pips over the Fab Four or other British rock sounds. As I see it, the struggles of the white working-class found expression in the music of a people who had a greater struggle. In fact, the roots of this music genre goes back to the spirituals and field songs of the slaves. As the migration north began to Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, etc.., the music morphed into blues and jazz. The groans and grittiness of Blind Willie Johnson capture the early transformation from spirituals and field songs to the beginning of the blues/jazz/gospel sound. It reminds me of a new testament scripture in Romans 8:26 that says “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

As a white kid, growing up somewhat poor in a working-class neighborhood, I gradually resonated with the music. It captured the grittiness of my life and my family’s life. As we watched our father become an alcoholic who was prone to violent tirades, music comforted us in a way that nothing else could. Our family was embedded in this larger community where life was hard. There were no guarantees that life would ever get easier, in the family or out. So, music was more than the proverbial soundtrack everyone seems to reference these days. It was a healthy outlet. The struggle might find tearful expression of the love ballads or a song with social commentary like the Temptations “Poppa Was a Rolling Stone.” Our mom, would prance around our house dancing to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” In some of their good moments, my 6’5” father would slow dance with my 5’2” mom to the Platters. What a sight that was! I think my grandfather referred to a comic strip that encapsulated the size differential. When we arrived to visit my Grandpap, he say the following about my parents, “Well, there’s Mutt & Jeff.”

Along with this music was the music of the church. The music of the pentecostal and sanctified churches became rock n’ roll. It’s fascinating to watch people’s disdain for the emotionalism of the “holy rollers,” but embrace the soulfulness of a Janis Joplin. Most people are totally ignorant of the connection of the early rock & roll sound of Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and even Elvis to the exhuberant and expressive music from the community churches. This bias against emotional fervor in worship continues.

Thank God for Mrs. Page, our music teacher, in the Jones Avenue middle school and North Braddock Scott high school. She exposed us to many of the spirituals as part of the chorus and choir. When I went away to college, the preference for r&b and gospel remained, but it took another leap when we moved to southern California so I could pursue my doctoral studies. We began attending a little mom & pop church that had a choir and choir director that were unbelievable. Terry Marden and his wife Shelva were music ministers at Crossroads Community Church in Westminster, California. I was a part of the choir on and off for the four years we attended that church (1987-1991). The Mardens did all sorts of gospel genre, but my favorite was black gospel. We actually participated in various competitions throughout southern California. So, we were a multi-ethnic black gospel choir. We had ethnic Romanians who could not speak English that recently immigrated, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, African-Americans and all sorts of whites along the various class and regional strata. We performed in churches at Compton and Watts in Southcentral Los Angeles (now called South Los Angeles) and ended up competing as part of a fundraiser for the Orange County Urban League at the Crystal Cathedral. These performances were not just singing. Symmetrical and asymmetrical choreography was an important part of the worship expression. Gradually, the portion of the choir that had little rhythm began to sway and clap off beat and move as one with those who could. Now of course there were exceptions, you know. There are one or two people in any choir, especially including so many white members that just aren’t going to get it. So, you work around them. The Mardens might move them to a less obvious location in the choir, but they always kept them. We did three songs at the Crystal Cathedral. I’m trying to find the date, but I think it was in 1988. We did renditions of the Walter Hawkins great “When the Battle’s Over” with Gigi Fiero doing the solo, “Let Us Not Be Weary in Well Doing” with Keith Olivier doing the tenor solo and a finale that included the Douglas Miller “Do Not Pass Me By” with Terry Marden doing his solo. (The links here are the originals. But we sounded just as good!) Unfortunately, Terry passed away several years ago.

It was during this time that I began collecting music of the great gospel choirs and soloists. I actually can remember the moves to some of the songs and hope to find a similar choir to fit into someday. If not, you can bet where you’ll find me in heaven. I’m sure there’ll be high church music from the Episcopalians and Catholics. There’ll be the Protestant hymns of the Methodists. And I may stop and listen and try to sing a few notes in each, but I will not tarry too long before I make my way to the gospel sounds and choreography of the Pentecostals. So, Terry, please make room for me. I’m coming to worship.

 

Pandora radio is a great place to listen to various gospel choirs and artists. I got the application through Facebook. If you need any suggestions on where to start or expand, feel free to ask. This ol’ dumb white guy knows a thing or two at this point. Thank God for the contribution of African-American culture to our lives! One of my all time favorites is by the Mississippi Mass Choir, “I’m Not Tired Yet.”

 

Now here’s a question for everyone? I know I am not the only ol’ white guy with this passion. Are these multi-ethnic choirs out there doing black gospel music or was this entirely a unique experience? Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

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Filed under Philosophy & Religion, Stories from my Childhood

Tags: black gospel, Blind Willie Johnson, choreography, church, great gospel choirs, life, Music, Pentecostal, Terry Marden, worship