Gospel music: From Religious Practice to Pop Music

Originating in the 1600s, Gospel music is essentially music preaching God as a Christian practice in churches. The word ‘gospel’ is referring to the message of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Sang in churches during mass, the music has many different styles and became very popular across Afro-American churches in the 19th and 20th Century. Thomas A. Dorsey, the ‘Father of Gospel Music’, saw great potential and decided to help publish this genre in the mainstream music, with many new artists from the churches popping out and creating commercial sounds such as the Five Blind Boys of…