The Evolution of Gospel
Gospel music has originated from negro spirituals and hymns created by enslaved Africans. This genre began after the Great Awakening when the enslaved were converted to Christianity. Gospel songs brought faith and hope into the Black community during hardships and trials. Some element of the Gospel are shouting and speaking in tongues. These religious hymns began as negro spirituals, however, Thomas Dorsey, more known as the father of Gospel, used his musical knowledge and religious background to create traditional gospel music. This name was developed through his power to popularize Gospel music. This revolutionary take pushed this genre into the mainstream media, resulting in Gospel music still being played all around today.
Gospel Types
Traditional Gospel music revolutionized through the uprise of Thomas Dorsey. The Black community didn’t originally react positively to his urbanized look of the Gospel. After the Great Migration Black churches became more popular. Dorsey would use this knowledge to spread his music door to door even though he didn’t receive much of a warm welcome. Although he had trials, his songs became more popular and eventually created an entire genre of music. Within this genre, the instruments were mostly focused on the piano or organ.

Contemporary Gospel music first arrived through the combination of secular styles of Black music such as drums, beats, and other instrumentation in the 70s and 80s. This urban look at gospel music differs from traditional since that style heavily weighs on simple instrumentation like the piano. The first song to open up this new style of gospel was “Oh Happy Day” written by Edwin Hawkins. This contemporary style implements old traditions and beliefs with modern-day technology and beats. Popular musicians today who focus on contemporary gospel music are Kirk Franklin, Tasha Cobbs, The Clark Sisters, and many more
