Gospel, Blues & BBQ
April 29 @ 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
Free
Gospel, Blues and Rockin’ BBQ
April 29, 2023
Time: To Be Announced
What the Gospel, Blues and Rockin’ BBQ
is all about…
PCAC presents a beautiful event that truly shows the power of the Arts and the impact they have made on the American culture. It is a celebration of music that pulls together all of our communities by the roots that hold firm to this important music heritage.
Gospel Music can be traced back to the 17th century where it originated in the evangelic Christian spirit. This style of music quickly expanded throughout the Americas and religious experiences with its Christian music genre that mirrored hymns and spirituals infused with the black oral traditions of repetition and call and response.
This music brought hope, comfort AND communicated secret messages within the enslaved communities. For many, it was the shining light to freedom. It was not until the late 1800s that the name “Gospel’ was coined by an American composer and hymnist when it was used in the title of a song book. However, it was from religious revival movements among both black and white Americans that the traditional gospel sound was molded.
A key figure in Gospel’s development was Thomas A Dorsey, also known as the father of gospel. By the 20th century new music genres such as the Blues, R&B, Country, Folk, Jazz, Ragtime and Rock exploded in America with their roots originating deep within gospel music. Artist such as Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Hank Williams and Jonny Cash began with gospel music and helped shape the music we listen to today.
The influences of gospel music can still be found in recordings of James Brown and Bob Dylan to rapper Kanye West. Artists such as Whitney Huston and John Legend to Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake, Brittney Spears to Usher and many more have credited their spark of inspiration began with singing gospel.
The voices and styles may vary but you can hear Gospel influences in music from Reverends to rockers, bluesmen to country ramblers. One thing that can never be disputed, Gospel is the foundation of the music made in America.