Southern Gospel Music: Fun Facts
Southern gospel music is a sub-genre of gospel music featuring mostly white performers. Although concerned with similar Christian subject matter as traditional, black gospel music, Southern gospel derives not from slave spirituals, but Sacred Harp singing, also known as "fasola" singing. Dating from the early 20th century, 100 years later, Southern gospel retains a devoted following.
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History
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The website Southern Gospel History credits the formal codification of the genre to James D. Vaughan, who sold the first songbook devoted exclusively to Southern gospel in 1910. Although music of a similar style had been around for some years prior, Vaughan was the first to form a publishing company based on the genre.
Significance
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According to the New Georgia Encyclopedia, many publishers of Southern gospel songbooks promoted their products by organizing singing quartets and sending them throughout the South and Midwest. This helped the genre reach a far wider audience and become a well-recognized form of Christian music.
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Size
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In 1997, the Southern Gospel Music Association established its Hall of Fame, introducing 38 artists. According to James R. Goff Jr., author of "Close Harmony: A History of Southern Gospel," at the time, the organization had more than 10,000 members, making it the largest gospel organization in the world.
Effects
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Southern gospel, although religious in nature, had a significant influence on a number of pop artists, including Patsy Cline and Elvis Presley. In fact, although less well known than his secular songs, Presley recorded a large body of gospel work, much of which would fit in the Southern gospel genre.
Expert Insight
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According to Goff, one of Elvis' early backing groups, the Nashville-based Jordanaires, began its career on the gospel concert circuit. Like many Southern gospel artists who crossed over to mainstream success, the group "was both envied and alienated by those who stayed on the more typical gospel music path," Goff wrote.
Misconceptions
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The term "Southern" gospel may be a misnomer, as traditional, black gospel music also derives from the South, specifically the Christian-themed spirituals sung by slaves. Yet the alternate term for the genre, "white" gospel, is inappropriate, too, as many black groups sing Southern gospel as well.
Potential
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Although now more than a century old, Southern gospel has adapted to the information age, with channels devoted to the genre available on satellite radio as well as a number of Southern gospel-themed websites, including SoGospel.com, first started in 1999. The website Radio Active Airplay also continues to put out a weekly Southern gospel chart.
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References
Resources
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