Praise & Worship

Raise Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet for the First National Gospel Heritage Month this September

Ro  |  08/25/2008 at 1:00 PM  |  Comments (1)

Last June after a joint effort by the Gospel Music Channel (GMC), the Recording Academy, the Gospel Music Association and co-sponsoring senators, Congress enacted legislation that designates September as National Gospel Heritage Month. A month dedicated to the music's heritage seems long overdue considering the influence it has had on culture not just in the States but across the globe, and the official website is modest when it states that:

"[Gospel music] is one of the cornerstones of the entire American musical tradition and has grown beyond its niche to achieve pop-culture and historical relevance."

It's more like the foundation that supports the cornerstones of the entire American musical tradition.

As lovers of music that is directly descendant from Gospel we would be remiss not to recognize the significance of a nationally sanctioned month celebrating this musical form. A form that has birthed legends like Mahalia Jackson, Thomas Dorsey, Diana Washington, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston. A form that has been emulated, hybridized, diluted and reinterpreted by the entire world for the last century.

Without Gospel not only would there be no Shirley Ceasar or Fred Hammond, there would also be no Jill Scott, no Lenny Kravitz, no Madonna, no British Invasion, no SoulBounce...

Visit the website for a listing of upcoming events and multi-media programming, and be sure to give Gospel some well deserved honor and praise this September. Or, you know, all the time.

Gospel Music Channel [Official]
Gospel Music Channel Launches Web Site To Support Heritage Month Initiative [MCN]
Honoring Gospel Music's Heritage All Month Long [NPR]

Tags: aretha franklin, diana washington, fred hammond, gospel, jill scott, lenny kravitz, madonna, mahalia jackson, national gospel heritage month, ray charles, thomas dorsey, whitney houston