averyfineline

So it’s the Gospel Music Association’s annual GMA week in Nashville - the chance for all things Christian music to be spit-shined, showcased, celebrated, branded, and shamelessly promoted (not that there’s anything wrong with that). The big event is, of course, Wednesday night’s Dove Awards (the Christian Grammies). But leading up to that is a […]

Somewhat apropos our discussion of denominationalism in gospel music, the president of the Chicago Theological Seminary surveys a sea of “self-directed” faiths in the U.S., and smiles. (hat tip, NG). “Post-denominational” works nicely with post-gospel, don’t you think?

Or, as Wentley Phipps puts it elsewhere in this Gaither/Homecoming appearance, where he tells a story about the black-and-white origins of “Amazing Grace,” “just the black notes.” If you haven’t already seen it, it’s worth watching, especially for his evocative lecture/sermon/set up. I have no idea how solid his music history or musicology is, but […]

Insightful remarks from Grave Digger on southern gospel’s ambivalent relationship with crossover acts:
I can’t help but feel that professional jealousy had much to do with the treatment the Oaks received from the aforementioned groups that refused to appear on stage with them. The multiple Dove Award winning Oaks could light up a stage like no […]

I haven’t been watching American Idol this year and probably won’t until the final few episodes (and even then I’ll definitely be muting the contrived, cartoonish insipidity of the Randy and Paula Show during the comments sections). But I did stumble across a performance online by Jason Castro singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” with a […]

Reader JT writes to note that the Oak Ridge Boys have a song on the Singing News chart this month … the first time in 30 years, if JT’s math is right. I haven’t yet seen the SN this month, so I can’t say for sure. But JT notes that the song is attached to […]

A while back commenter Tom took me to task for misunderstanding the relationship of artists’ denominational affiliation to their work and its appeal. Specifically, he argued that I was “somehow conflating the holiness tradition and the pentecostal tradition in ways that make absolutely no sense to your argument.”

The comment goes on for some time […]

From commenter John, who’s been mixing up in comments over the price and quality of gospel albums:
I think the genre was better when it was just too expensive for hundreds of groups to release projects.

Somewhat belatedly, I’m finally getting around to posting a link to the transcript of a speech that the (music) marketing guru Seth Godin gave to BMG executives a bit ago. Money quote (hat tip, MG):

[I]f the model that we loved about the record business in 1968 was A&R, taking care of artists, finding […]

It feels like I ask this every year around this time, but is there going to be the annual Southern Gospel Music Guild’s Tuesday night concert at the Hyatt during GMA week? I’ve seen no advertisement or announcements for it, and it’s getting close enough (a week and a half) that one would expect to […]