So what is gospel music? Google’s AI says that gospel music is a style of Christian music that originated in African American communities. It’s characterized by rhythmic, spiritual melodies and harmonies. Gospel music often includes call-and-response, group singing, and refrains. Oxford dictionary adds that gospel music is about the teachings of Jesus,

According to the Smithsonian, the great Mahalia Jackson was known as the “Queen of Gospel Music.” One of Mahalia Jackson’ earliest recordings Move On Up A Little Higher from 1947 is in the National Recording Registry. Meaning it is seen as a significant song and recording in the history of American recordings. But it does not have harmony, call and response or a group or choir. It is just her, a piano and organ and almost sounds more like the blues than church music. But if indeed she was the queen, and yes she was, then we will say it is gospel because a gospel singer sang it.

Hank Williams is primarily thought of as a country western singer. But Williams like Elvis did do gospel songs. His I Saw The Light being a great example. So white, rural, country western, no choir, no preaching can still be gospel as well. Therefore gospel seems to be a much broader term than Google or the dictionary would have us believe.

So if country and blues can be gospel did the Rolling Stones sing gospel? Yes they did. They covered an old gospel song originally recorded by the Staple Singers. The lines defining musical genera are often not very clear when you start looking closely at the last 70 years of American popular music. Yet, few singers have expanded what gospel music could be, and along with it expanded all of popular music, than Pops Staples, Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers. Their music went from gospel to folk to soul to funk often all at the same time.

For Subscribers: Coda To Episode 2:5 Mavis Staples On All star Tribute albums. COMING SOON.

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Mavis Staples' 75th birthday in 2017 was celebrated with I’ll Take You There: An All-Star Concert Celebration with Gregg Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal and many more all star performers.

Earlier she was on the album Rhythm, Country and Blues doing The Weight with roots musician Marty Stewart. An album that matches up top notch country and R&B singers to do well known country and soul standards.

And she received a Grammy nomination for her duet with Bob Dylan on Gotta Serve Somebody, the Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan in 2003. More on these three albums in the Wow and Flutter CODA to this episode.

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