R & B Vs Gospel Music Analysis

Gary Hines, the music director and producer of the Grammy Award-winning vocal and instrumental ensemble, Sounds of Blackness, said, “Regardless of the rhythmic mode, the lyrics are the ultimate determinant. Gospel is spiritually based and talks about the good news of Jesus Christ.” (“Is Gospel and R&B Merging?”, 1997) Gospel is clearly defined by its Christian lyrics usually emphasizing the salvation of a person through their faith and devotion, and because of this, audiences who are not religiously influenced or as open-minded to other religions could be reluctant or even hostile towards this genre of music. A person of any denomination is more open to listening to R&B than Gospel music because people are normally hesitant to listen to songs

The reinvention of a genre can bring it back to life, but what emerges can be more of a reincarnation rather than a resuscitation. Gospel is more recognized as the former than the latter. Although R&B and Gospel music are both seen as the signature defining the sound of African American music, R&B remains more globally

As a result of the Second World War, employment surged causing workers from the South to migrate to Northern cities looking for work. “The Blues went with them, adapting to a more sophisticated urban environment.” (“Soul Music’s History”, 2018) As big band jazz bands were not economically feasible, this led to the downsizing of many groups who would later form the heart of early R&B. Key elements of these smaller groups included a double bass, drums, rhythm guitar or electric bass guitar, and keyboard instruments. With the horns, jazz swing rhythms, and Blues chord structures and riffs, jump blues was an integral development towards the sound of the early 50s and 60s R&B. (“Soul Music’s History”, 2018) Saxophonist Louis Jordan, one of the leading and prominent figures in the development of jump blues as well as R&B, began making Boogie Woogie influenced Blues-based records with humorous lyrics. (“Soul Music’s History”, 2018) His influence is apparent in R&B music in the 1940s. With 57 R&B hits from 1942 to 1951, including classics such as "I'm Gonna Leave You on the Outskirts of Town,” "Weak Minded Blues," and “Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens,” he essentially designed the blueprint for the development of R&B. (Dahl, 2018) Ray Charles often publicly acknowledged Jordan as a key influencer for him and his music. While still