Top Gospel Music Albums
Gospel music is the expression of religious fervor in music and rhythm. It is known for the spirit-filled choir singing (along with grunts, exhortations, screams and hand-clapping) harmonizing quartets, soul-stirring crooners singing songs of praise for God and Jesus.
Gospel has roots in Africa where music, rhythm and religion combine. Black Africans who were brought to America as slaves create songs to lighten their labors and to express their condition. When the slaves were converted to Christianity (among the reasons, to prevent them from rebelling), the Black Africans, integrated their passion for their belief in Jesus and the gospel (Christian "good news") with their worksongs and everyday songs. Gospel music was born.
Traditional gospel music followed the "call and reponse" pattern of work songs sung by the slaves in the cotton fields. The main vocalist - often a preacher - would sing, and his words would be repeated by the congregation or choir. Soon solo singers, and male harmony groups became popular.
To raise money to generate money for the black academic institutions like the Nashville Fisk University, singers from these institutions took fund-raising choir tours of North America. These so-called Jubilee singers became very popular. At the same time, increasingly urbanised black singers were adapting the popular style of four-part harmony group singing known as the "barbershop quartet" and adopted arrangements of much-loved hymns.
Gospel music influenced other musicians such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, and several blues artists. It is also the root of R&B and of course, contemporary gospel.
Mahalia Jackson singing "Lord Don't Move the Mountain"
The following are the best classic gospel music albums:
- In Bright Mansions - Fisk Jubilee Singers
- Wade In The Water, Vol.1:African American Spirituals:The Concert Tradition - Various Artists - Gospel and Wade In The Water
- Crazy Blues: The Best of Mamie Smith - Mamie Smith
- Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1921-1923) - Norfolk Jazz and Jubilee Quartets
- Pace Jubilee Singers, Vol. 1 - Pace Jubilee Singers
- Precious Lord: The Great Gospel Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey
- The Best of the Roberta Martin Singers - Roberta Martin
- Take My Hand, Precious Lord - The Clara Ward Singers
- Strong Again - Marion Williams
- Gospels, Spirituals and Hymns - Mahalia Jackson
- Gospels, Spirituals, and Hymns, Vol. 2 - Mahalia Jackson
- Sings America's Favorite Hymns - Mahalia Jackson
- The Apollo Sessions: 1946 - 1951 - Mahalia Jackson
The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi singing "Lord You've Been Good To Me"
- Golden Gate Quartet, Vol. 1: 1937-1938 - Golden Gate Quartet
- Travelin' Shoes - Golden Gate Quartet
- Gospels and Spirituals - Golden Gate Quartet
- Shine on Me - The Soul Stirrers
- Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers - Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers
- Harmonizing Four 1943-1954 - The Harmonizing Four
- This Is Gospel: The Harmonizing Four - The Harmonizing Four
- When Day Is Done: The Very Best of the Harmonizing 4 - Harmonizing Four
- Happy in the Service of the Lord - Spirit of Memphis Quartet
- 1947 - 1954: The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi - The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
- The Great Lost Blind Boys Album - Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi
- The Original Five Blind Boys/Everytime I Feel the Spirit - The Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
- Spirit of the Century - Blind Boys of Alabama
- The Best of the Caravans - The Caravans
- Deep River - Blind Boys of Alabama
- Ballad for Americans - Paul Robeson
- Paul Robeson Sings "Ol' Man River" and Other Favorites - Paul Robeson
- Spirituals - Marian Anderson
- He's Got the Whole World in His Hands - Marian Anderson
- The Keys to the Kingdom - Washington Phillips
- The Complete Blind Willie Johnson - Blind Willie Johnson
- Lord Take Us Through - Willie Neal Johnson and the New Keynotes
- Slide Guitar Gospel, 1944-1964 The Complete Recordings of Rev. Utah Smith and Rev. Lonnie Farris
- Rev. Louis Overstreet With His Sons And The Congregation Of St. Luke's Powerhouse
- Church Of God In Christ - Rev. Louis Overstreet
- Arizona Dranes (1926-1929) - Arizona Dranes
- Bye And Bye We're Going To See The King - Arizona Dranes
- Harlem Street - Rev. Gary Davis
- The Swan Silvertones Saviour Pass Me Not - The Swan Silvertones
- Sermons and Hymns - Rev. C.L. Franklin
- Recorded Live at The Bear in Chicago - Bessie Griffin and the Gospel of Pearls
- Original Soul Sister - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1938-1941) - Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- James Cleveland with the World's Greatest Choirs, 20th Anniversary Album - Rev. James Cleveland
- The King of Gospel - Rev. James Cleveland
- Shakin' the Rafters - The Abyssinian Baptist Choir
- Oh Happy Day!: The Best of the Edwin Hawkins Singers - Edwin Hawkins
- The Glory Road - Fern Jones
- How Great Thou Art - Elvis Presley
- Amazing Grace - Aretha Franklin
- Sings the Gospel - Little Richard
- Sacred Steel: Traditional Sacred African-American Steel Guitar Music In Florida - Willie Eason, Glenn Lee, Aubrey Ghent, and Sacred Steel Guitars (Series)
- Can You Feel It? - The Campbell Brothers
- Pass Me Not: Sacred Steel Guitars, Vol. 2 - Katie Jackson, Sacred Steel Guitars (Series), and The Campbell Brothers
- Thank You For One More Day - The Dixie Hummingbirds
- Sacred Steel - Live!
- Goin' Home - Archie Shepp and Horace Parlan
- The Best of the Staple Singers - The Staple Singers
See also: Top Blues Albums Top Jazz Albums Top Rhythm and Blues and Soul Albums
