Gospel Music In African American Culture

The creation of the blues, however, is not solely defined by the customs and traditions of African-Americans. The melding of cultures together then developed blues into the form it is today. Although in its beginning stage, most white-owned record companies didn’t believe a market existed for African-American music, audiences for the blues became increasingly “white” and European. The story of the blues focuses on black culture and its coming of prominence and influence in American society and the race relations of the U.S. toward a future of more understanding and fairness, which eventually came to be an interest among individuals of all backgrounds and races. One could conclude that without the blues, music today would be very different.

From the unjust plantations of the Southern states to the overbearing racism during the Civil War, gospel music has long been a source of expression for African-Americans. The roots of gospel music can be traced to the confluence where traditional West African spirituals, the shift from rural slave life to second-class urban citizens, and the harrowing sounds of the blues meet: “…interaction between the original tradition (spirituals) and those new environmental situations that African Americans encountered in their lives” (Jackson, 187). Gospel music is a version of sanctified music, consistently with an upbeat and lively style, as opposed to the dispiriting blues, that stimulated the practice of Christian ethical principles during a time of extreme despair. Promoting a spirit of faith and hope of a better life to come, this music helped African-Americans enslaved to escape to the freedom of the North and to adjust to finally becoming a recognized human being. Much like the Negro spirituals, “one of the strong appeals of this music, in fact, is that it encourages participation and improvisation on the part of an audience that feels comfortable” (Wilson, 68). African-Americans united through religion to find strength against racism, which has been known to be associated with the worship in church, to contemporaneously

It is true that people from all backgrounds have contributed to a brand of music that represents their tale of life, but Africans and African-Americans have expressed a struggle as well as a triumph during the era of relentless, inhumane behavior. Their music has allowed these people to connect to the world and their spirituality, acting as the soundtrack of this movement. The influence of African-American music has remained prominent and powerful and blues and gospel will continue to have a substantial impact on all those directly or indirectly affected by slavery.

A unique kind of song grew from the experience of the Africans brought to America during enslavement. That unique song was the African spiritual, which was a tool used to communicate to the Gods and as a way of overcoming the mental anguish of captivity. The story of African-American music has long been the tale of the enduring social struggles of American history, specifically the cruel confinement of the South. Blues and gospel, the secular and sacred songs of slavery, racism, and human identity, are both bound up in sorrow, loss, misery, hope, redemption, and faith. While remaining recognizable over many decades, the spirit and musical forms of these styles have influenced much of the way African-Americans have lived their lives. And while