How Did Gospel Music Influence African American Culture

African American Gospel Music and Its Influential Power
Have you ever listened to a song that moved you to the point where it seemed that all your heartaches and troubles disappeared? Have your spirits ever been lifted by simply listening to a few lyrics of a certain song? If you answered yes to either of these, you may have experienced the same type of feeling that comes over many people when they listen to African American Gospel Music. This genre of music has changed throughout the years but has remained a constant component in the African American Culture. Gospel artist such as Thomas Andrew Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, and James Cleveland played a crucial part in laying the foundation for the gospel artists of today. The messages in their lyrics carried uplifted powers while expressing through the music itself history of struggle of Africans and African American music as a whole. The influential power of gospel music within African American culture is mainly attributed to the fusion of old slave hymns with the everyday struggles of African American society. The influential power of gospel music is a living experience that is always changing and giving spiritual support to many people.
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Quartet singing became an important part of the spiritual life of African Americans during the first half of the twenty century. “Early quartet singing was performed “ a capella” which means without instrumentation” (White). As more groups began to develop, light instrumentation was added.This was usually a single guitar. The key thing in quartet singing was the use of the voice and the harmonies used by the group. “In musical terms, the word “Quartet” means an ensemble of four” (Boyer 23). This four part member ensemble consist of one member singing lead part, another member singing tenor,one singing baritone, and lastly someone singing bass. Each member sing a different part which creates the