Gospel (from “the Gospel”) is the music of the African-American church: mighty choirs, impassioned soloists, hand-clapping, call-and-response, and improvisational freedom that lifts the congregation to emotional heights. Its roots lie in the spirituals of the era of slavery.
A key figure of early gospel was Thomas Dorsey, the “father of gospel music,” and its most famous voice was Mahalia Jackson. From gospel grew soul, rhythm and blues, and to a great degree rock and roll directly. It is one of the deepest wellsprings of all modern popular music.
