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A Focus on Music in Worship

Black people are uncomfortable when those outside the involved in Black gospel in many ways usurped complete
culture, particularly whites, perform music of the Afri- control of the music from the Black community. The

can American experience. Historically, there have cer- commercialization and commodification of Black gospel
tainly been times when Black music has been misrepre- was interpreted by the African American community as
sented by those outside the culture that has resulted in secularizing Black sacred music, and therefore sacrile-
harm and has been off ensive. gious and disrespectful to the Black community. Leaders
When we think back to the period of the post-civil in the Black gospel community, still in its infancy, sought
war, whites performed music known as pseudo-spirituals, to regain control and infl uence in the gospel industry.
“carry-me-backs,” and coon songs. These songs deni- Dorsey, founder of the National Convention of Gospel
grated Blacks, reinforced negative racial stereotypes, and Choirs and Choruses (NCCGC) established procedures
promoted racist values and pro-slavery ideology. Samuel and rules of conduct for gospel singers that affi rmed their
A. Floyd Jr. states that these various types of coon songs: spirituality and would distinguish their conduct and be-
havior from gospel singers who were more fl amboyant in
portrayed the African American male as a their dress and performance. His partner, Sallie Martin,
fun-loving dandy, a chicken- or ham-loving glut- issued a statement that rebuked the behavior and con-
ton, a razor-totin’ thief, gambler, or drunkard, duct of more commercially minded gospel performers:
or an outrageously unfaithful husband or lover.
The [black] female was presented in these illus- Recently the enormous growth of gospel and
trations either as a very black, fat, large-lipped Evangelistic singing in our churches has been
mammy or carouser, or as a beautiful light- widespread and self-evident. This is due to the
skinned “Yaller Rose of Texas,” showing the enormous popularity and public reception of
white male’s ostensible preference for exploit- this type of music… It is sad to note though that
ing fairskinned females as well as the African even though Evangelistic and gospel singing is
American’s indoctrination into the preference based on the highest type of songs conducive to
for white ideals of beauty. In the late nineteenth the greatest spiritual values, the recent advent
century, the advertising of musical products be- of “Followers after Fishes and Loaves” has re-
came the primary means of developing, perpe- duced the effectiveness of this type of music and

trating, and communicating the negative images has brought down upon it the finger of scorn

of [black] people in American society. The coon and derision. Too many of our contemporary
song was the vehicle for repeating these messag- Evangelistic or gospel singers are in it “for what
es in American society. 19 they can get out of it or for purely commercial
reasons.” 20
A performance by Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the Cot-
ton Club in 1938 arguably thrust gospel music (and spir- Historically, white-owned record companies have
ituals, to some degree) into the mainstream. Not only cheated Black artists out of royalties, from the time of
did this highly public performance further blur the per- race records and the blues to rock and roll and rhythm
ceived lines between sacred and secular music, but her and blues. There have been several instances where
performance before a mostly white audience caught the white artists have re-recorded the music of Black artists
attention of industry professionals, who saw the com- and thus blocked them from receiving their due, fi nan-
mercial potential of Black sacred music. The consequent cially and otherwise professionally. White artists have
commercialization of Black gospel music became a great mimicked the style of Black performers while neglecting
concern for the Black church and gospel musicians. Al- to give the artists credit for their artistry. Rock and roll
though Thomas A. Dorsey had been working to pro- legend Little Richard has articulated this claim on many
mote gospel and grow its potential for commercial via- occasions, frequently stating that he is the “originator”
bility, having white promoters and other industry players and architect of rock and roll.

CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2021 Volume 61 Number 11 15