Black gospel music grew from obscure nineteenth-century beginnings to become the leading style of sacred music in black American communities after World War II. Jerma A. Jackson traces the music's unique history, profiling the careers of several singers--particularly Sister Rosetta Tharpe--and demonstrating the important role women played in popularizing gospel. Female gospel singers initially developed their musical abilities in churches where gospel prevailed as a mode of worship. Few, however, stayed exclusively in the religious realm. As recordings and sheet music pushed gospel into the commercial arena, gospel began to develop a life beyond the church, spreading first among a broad spectrum of African Americans and then to white middle-class audiences. Retail outlets, recording companies, and booking agencies turned gospel into big business, and local church singers emerged as national and international celebrities. Amid these changes, the music acquired increasing significance as a source of black identity. These successes, however, generated fierce controversy. As gospel gained public visibility and broad commercial appeal, debates broke out over the meaning of the music and its message, raising questions about the virtues of commercialism and material values, the contours of racial identity, and the nature of the sacred. Jackson engages these debates to explore how race, faith, and identity became central questions in twentieth-century African American life.

In this special seasonal edition, bestselling author Robert J. Morgan shares the incredible stories behind traditional holiday hymns of faith, including Christmas, Easter, and more. Is there a festive season of the year that is complete without one of your favorite hymns? Not only do hymns connect you to great memories, but they also reveal the faith of those who lived throughout history. As Robert Morgan explored the stories behind some of the best-loved hymns, he found fascinating accounts of tribulations, triumphs, struggles, and hope—ordinary people who connected with God in amazing ways, sharing their experiences through song. Included inside this special edition are: 150 devotional-style stories with the words and music to each hymn Includes hymns for holidays including Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and more Jagged edged paper, giving it a classic feel Includes a complete hymn index by title, first line, and songwriter Perfect for use as a daily devotional, teaching illustration, or for song leaders and music ministers Discover the inspiration behind your favorite hymns. Find new favorites as you relate to the people whose walk of faith led them to write these classic songs of praise. Share these stories with your family, friends, and church, and find more depth and meaning as you worship God through song.

On any Sunday afternoon a traveler through the Deep South might chance upon the rich, full sound of Sacred Harp singing. Aided with nothing but their own voices and the traditional shape-note songbook, Sacred Harp singers produce a sound that is unmistakable--clear and full-voiced. Passed down from early settlers in the backwoods of the Southern Uplands, this religious folk tradition hearkens back to a simpler age when Sundays were a time for the Lord and the “singings.” Illustrated with forty-one songs from the original songbook, The Sacred Harp is a comprehensive account of a unique form of folk music. Buell Cobb’s study encompasses the history of the songbook itself, an analysis of the music, and an intimate portrait of the singers who have kept alive a truly American tradition.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). This songbook includes all 15 songs from the 2006 release, Jackson's first ever gospel album. Songs: Blessed Assurance * How Great Thou Art * I'll Fly Away * In the Garden * The Old Rugged Cross * Softly and Tenderly * What a Friend We Have in Jesus * and more.

In this ambitious book on southern gospel music, Douglas Harrison reexamines the music's historical emergence and its function as a modern cultural phenomenon. Rather than a single rhetoric focusing on the afterlife as compensation for worldly sacrifice, Harrison presents southern gospel as a network of interconnected messages that evangelical Christians use to make individual sense of both Protestant theological doctrines and their own lived experiences. Harrison explores how listeners and consumers of southern gospel integrate its lyrics and music into their own religious experience, building up individual--and potentially subversive--meanings beneath a surface of evangelical consensus. Reassessing the contributions of such figures as Aldine Kieffer, James D. Vaughan, and Bill and Gloria Gaither, Then Sings My Soul traces an alternative history of southern gospel in the twentieth century, one that emphasizes the music's interaction with broader shifts in American life beyond the narrow confines of southern gospel's borders. His discussion includes the "gay-gospel paradox"--the experience of non-heterosexuals in gospel music--as a cipher for fundamentalism's conflict with the postmodern world.

This heartwarming picture book reassures children that a parent’s love never lets go—based on the poignant lyrics of JJ Heller’s beloved lullaby “Hand to Hold.” “May the living light inside you be the compass as you go / May you always know you have my hand to hold.” With delightful illustrations and an engaging rhyme scheme, this book offers the promise of security and love every child’s heart longs to know. From skipping stones and counting stars to climbing trees and telling stories, every moment is wrapped snugly in the certain warmth of a parent’s presence and God’s blessing. With poignancy and joy, this bedtime read captures the unconditional love parents want their children to know but so often fail to express amid the chaos of daily life.

Lyrics and guitar chords for traditional and modern folk songs.

Singing - Body and Soul is for the young singer, to help you discover how your voice, body and mind work together. There are great books about the links between science and music - but most are written for adults with strong music backgrounds, and college degrees. Young singers need a streamlined version so your voice can express your inner life - right now! The voice has the most exciting sound when a singer is between 20 to 25 years old. That's when "desire" starts to ride on the sound, and helps you stand out at an audition. By then, you already need years of singing experience - to make the most of your opportunities. That means learning about your voice early - at 14 years old or younger. Singing - Body and Soul offers new guidance for developing your singing. It includes artistic and scientific descriptions, and uses song lyrics to illustrate states of mind. Musical Theater plots, characters, and songs fill the book, so the text is more storytelling than classroom lecture. With quotes and references from Charlie Brown, Albert Einstein, and Dr. Seuss, Singing - Body and Soul can help you understand your voice in new ways, and make the world hear what you have to say.

(Sacred Folio). Family Hymn Sing is the third in the "Getty Kids Hymnal" series which exists to help children learn the Christian faith through singing. With kid-friendly arrangements recorded by the Gettys' band of Irish and American virtuosos and sung by kids, this collection features songs the whole family can sing together! Titles include: All Creatures of Our God & King * Crown Him with Many Crowns * This Is My Father's World * Power in the Blood * His Mercy Is More * Jesus Paid It All * O! For a Thousand Tongues to Sing * He Will Hold Me Fast * In Christ Alone/I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous) * How Great Thou Art * Be Thou My Vision * What Wondrous Love Is This?

Singing with Mind, Body, and Soul is unique in that it truly is a practical guide for voice teachers, singers, and choral conductors alike. It outlines in a clear and straightforward way the fundamentals of a healthy vocal technique. Step-by-step tools and exercises are used to achieve a solid, healthy vocal production. Included in each chapter are specific exercises for increasing kinesthetic awareness while singing. The tools, used together with the exercises, retrain the muscles and allow the vocal mechanism to release tension, at the same time keeping energy and vitality in the voice. Singing with Mind, Body, and Soul offers to both singer and teacher a comprehensive guide for beautiful, healthy, soulful singing.