SPIRITUAL

SOUND OF A HIGHER GROUND

The sonic description of Gospel music is a harvest of all that comes from the heart: love, pain, memory and hope. The voice is the vessel to deliver the news. The voice can be solo or it can shape rainbows in a choir. Like a centerpiece on a table, this declaration is surrounded by instrumentation that ranges from an earth-shaking guitar to a cresting organ.

Chicago is the birthplace of American gospel. Chicagoan Thomas A. Dorsey --“The Father of Gospel Music” ---wrote songs that touched Dr. Martin Luther King and Elvis Presley. Chicago’s Soul Stirrers illustrated the bridge between gospel and soul music with young members like Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls and Johnnie Taylor. The Gospel spirit traveled into Chicago area homes from 1963 to 1984 through the popular Jubilee Showcase television show.

The Gospel sound is precious and timeless. It bends notes and walks the mainline. The most deliberate hymn contains a wide range of expression. All Gospel music contains unparalleled devotion.

It celebrates the purity of the soul.

Short Documentary