What are the best gospel albums on vinyl?

Aretha Franklin's "Amazing Grace" is the obvious starting point: a gospel album recorded live in a church. Add a Mahalia Jackson collection, a Staple Singers record and a Soul Stirrers recording featuring Sam Cooke to cover the main eras of black gospel on vinyl.

Who is considered the father of gospel music?

Thomas A. Dorsey is often called the father of modern gospel. A former blues pianist, he wrote many gospel songs and brought blues rhythms and structures into church music, paving the way for Mahalia Jackson and the great gospel choirs of the 20th century.

What is the difference between gospel and spirituals?

Spirituals are religious songs that arose among enslaved African Americans and were passed down orally. Gospel came later, in the 20th century, with named composers, piano or organ accompaniment and a strong blues influence. Many gospel singers recorded both repertoires throughout their careers.

How did gospel influence soul music?

Directly. Soul took gospel's vocal techniques, call and response and choir intensity and applied them to secular lyrics. Sam Cooke, who came from The Soul Stirrers, and Aretha Franklin, a preacher's daughter, both sang in church before becoming soul stars.

Gospel

Gospel music blends vocal power, spiritual fervor, and rich harmonies. Born in African-American churches, it has influenced entire genres, from soul to rock.

Carried by moving choirs and catchy rhythms, each record embodies a surge of hope and sharing.

The perfect opportunity to be carried away by an energy that warms the heart and soul.

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Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues

Morgan Freeman

Gospel Vinyl Records: Black Gospel from Mahalia Jackson to Aretha Franklin

Black gospel vinyl records: what this collection covers

This page gathers the gospel vinyl records listed on Vinyles.com, each with offers from several partner stores, from black gospel classics to soul records rooted in the church. Gospel is the music of African American churches: choirs, vocal quartets, powerhouse soloists, organ and piano. It feeds straight into soul, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, which is why the collection also brushes against Mavis Staples, Solomon Burke, Odetta and a number of blues artists. Vinyl suits these recordings well, many of them captured live, where you hear the room, the congregation and the full size of the voices.

Essential gospel voices and albums

Thomas A. Dorsey, a former blues pianist, is widely called the father of modern gospel for bringing blues rhythms and forms into church music. Mahalia Jackson became its defining voice, breaking through on Apollo in the late 40s before moving to Columbia. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, a singer and electric guitarist, pointed toward rock and roll as early as the 40s.

In the 50s, vocal quartets ruled, including The Soul Stirrers, with a young Sam Cooke, on Specialty, and The Blind Boys of Alabama. The Staple Singers bridged gospel and soul, up to "I'll Take You There" (1972) on Stax. That same year Aretha Franklin recorded "Amazing Grace" (1972) in a Los Angeles church with James Cleveland, one of the best-known gospel records ever made. The Edwin Hawkins Singers' "Oh Happy Day" (1969) took gospel onto the pop charts.