For generations, gospel music has been a significant source of strength and resilience for Black Americans, sustaining them through their deepest struggles. Since slavery, spiritual songs and hymns have provided a way of survival, offering hope, faith, and a shared sense of purpose. On this foundation is built a legacy of Black Gospel artists, continuing the tradition of music that uplifts and strengthens our communities in times of difficulty and triumph.

The wealthy history of black gospel music

Black gospel music whose roots return to slavery when enslaved people sang call-and-response songs equivalent to “Roll, Jordan, Roll” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” These early folk songs were as much about spirituality as they were about providing comfort and community in a shared fight for freedom. At the turn of the twentieth century, instruments were introduced to black gospel music, a major advance since enslaved people were often ban on the use of certain instruments.

Black composer and musician Thomas A. Dorseyhe became a highly influential figure in black gospel music from the Twenties and Thirties. He earned the title “Father of Gospel Music” for writing over 1,000 hymns, including classics equivalent to “Peace in the Valley” and “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.”

Eventually, black gospel music began to tackle a more modern sound with artists equivalent to Andrae Crouch and The Clark Sisters, who introduced the subgenre of contemporary urban gospel. Over the centuries, black gospel music has evolved into what it’s today: a various genre that tells the story of a faith that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Notable Black Gospel Music Artists and Their Contributions

Gospel music is what it’s today because of the countless black artists who handcrafted the genre.

Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson she is one of the matriarchs of gospel music. Born into poverty in New Orleans in 1911, Jackson began singing in churches and funerals before attracting widespread attention together with her 1947 song “Move on Up a Little Higher,” which became a success in 1948. She brought gospel blues to the masses, crooning versions of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and “How I Got Over” to crowds world wide. She also raised her voice in support of the civil rights movement, becoming a private friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and acting at the March on Washington. Her contralto voice was enhanced with heavy vibrato. Jackson moved expressively on stage and was known for her ability to evoke strong emotions within the audience, often while becoming almost emotional herself.

CeCe Winans

Talking about CeCe Winans without BeBe Winans seems a bit sacrilegious, but she deserves flowers because she is one of essentially the most famous and successful black gospel singers of all time. CeCe Winans’ solo gospel profession yielded hits equivalent to “Well Alright,” “Pray” and “Goodness of God.” Her first solo album, “Alone in His Presence”, was released in 1995 and went double platinum, topping the gospel charts ten times. Winans followed this up in 1999 with the hugely successful album “Alabaster Box” on her own WellSpring Gospel label. Winans’ wealthy tone and incredible vocal control have remained consistent through the ages. In late October 2024, he’ll release More Than This, a widely praised contemporary gospel album that combines old and latest classics.

Kirk Franklin

Congregation favorite Kirk Franklin has been a mainstay within the church and charts because the early Nineteen Nineties. His first band was “The Family”, which included his friends and neighbors, and in 1993 he released “Kirk Franklin & The Family”. The album went platinum and remained on the gospel music charts for several years after its release. Franklin created many hits that expanded his appeal to a wider audience, including “Stomp” and “I Smile”. Fans comprehend it’s not Kirk Franklin making that joyful sound. His true talent lies less in his own vocal abilities and more in his divine talent for bringing out the wealthy, united voices of his choirs.

Kierra Sheard

Kierra Sheard made her gospel singing debut on the age of 9 on her mother’s album “Finally Karen” (referring to Karen Clark-Sheard of the Clark Sisters). So while the younger Sheard can have had a bonus early on, she has a voice all her own, which she uses on songs like “You Don’t Know,” “Why Me?” and “Something has to break.” Sheard, a mezzo-soprano, serves up delicious R&B grooves and riffs. In addition to music, Sheard also boasts acting, playing a mother on Lifetime’s “The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel.”

Whitney Houston in “The Preacher’s Wife”

The 1996 comedy-drama The Preacher’s Wife was a light-hearted story a few church and a wedding on the brink, and an angel sent to save lots of them. Whitney Houston gave it her all within the film after which blessed us again for the soundtrack. Her performance of “I Believe in You and Me” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. “Joy” was an original work by then-new gospel artist Kirk Franklin and the Georgia Mass Choir. At the time, Houston was a longtime artist, and “The Preacher’s Wife” is one of them best selling gospel albums of all time, and Houston gained recognition for her raw and real vocals.

The influence of Black Gospel artists on popular music

Black gospel artists span a range of genres. You can hear it almost each time you alter the radio station (or shuffle it on Spotify).

Cross-species collaboration that crossed boundaries

Nicki Minaj’s verse on a gospel song doesn’t sound likely, but Minaj appeared on “I’m Getting Ready” with Tasha Cobbs Leonard in 2017. Some criticized Leonard’s collaboration with Minaj, but Leonard stood his ground: saying“This is not a task given to me by a man. This is the task God has given me.”

People may act like controversial collaborations are something latest, but Salt-N-Pepa’s Kirk Franklin and Cheryl “Salt” James had some people in church dizzy in 1997 once they released “Stomp”.

The roots of gospel R&B, soul and hip-hop

The reach of gospel music extends beyond the church doors and into almost every other genre.

Gospel’s influence on R&B is sort of profound, considering many artists equivalent to Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin got their start singing in church. Similarly, gospel music was in some ways the predecessor of soul music, with the 2 types of music often sharing common lyrical structures, rhythms, and melodies (from Heaven). Hip-hop can be not resistant to gospel influences. Kirk Franklin was an enormous hip-hop OG within the ’90s, and artists like Lecrae and Tedashii carry that spirit today.

Honors and recognition for gospel legends

Some of essentially the most successful artists of all time are black gospel artists. Kirk Franklin is nineteen Grammys to his name, and CeCe Winans currently holds the record together with her for essentially the most Grammy Awards awarded to a gospel artist 15 trophies. The Dove Award is taken into account the equivalent of a Grammy in gospel music, and black artists equivalent to Lecrae, Jonathan McReynolds and Ricky Dillard are only a couple of contemporaries who’ve received awards for his or her work within the genre.

The continuing influence of Black Gospel artists

From church pews to concert halls, Black Gospel artists proceed to encourage and uplift through their timeless contributions to music. Their legacy, rooted in faith and resilience, will proceed to shape the soundtrack of our lives for generations to come back.

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Former NBA star JR Smith is following his own path amid rumors about his personal life following his retirement.

In addition to returning to college and enrolling at an HBCU, where he joined the golf team, Smith also began a family along with his latest love, “The Flash” actress Candice Patton.

Patton recently gave fans a glimpse of his latest baby by sharing a joint post on Instagram, which featured more photos of their son following the large reveal.

In a series of photos, the couple playfully covered their baby boy’s face with a blue heart and other emojis. Some photos show their toddler wrapped in soft sheets, while others show Smith proudly holding his son while shopping.

In one photo, the North Carolina A&T senior looks directly into the camera as his young son rests peacefully on his tattooed arm.

Although the post was flooded with lots of of wishes and congratulations on the birth of Smith’s first son, not everyone was so positive.

One comment read: “I assumed he was married! Congratulations,” referring to his estranged wife and mother of his two youngest daughters, Dakota, 7, and Denver, 4.

Someone else chimed in, “No f**k dis n***a @teamswish be bossing ’em around,” referring to rumors about Smith’s past relationships.

People began stating every thing from “Why is there a bowl of cereal next to him” to why they can not see greater than just the child’s curly hair.

Meanwhile, one person asked: “Why are there so many nasty comments. They are happy, they have a beautiful child and they want to share it with the world. They cover their face because they want some privacy, but they still want to share the news and there’s nothing wrong with that. Grant does this too and as a fan of both of them you should just be happy for them. Candice congratulations, the baby is beautiful xx.”

When a fan responded by asking why someone would post photos of their child and not show their face, Smith was quick to respond and wrote, “Who cares what you get?”

To avoid letting the reading go unchecked, the person replied, “Are you indignant or not? Lots of guffaws.”

But that did not discourage Smith. With the identical effortless energy that the NBA championship winner displayed on the court, he responded calmly, writing: “No, I’m happy with my family and life. Apparently not” with a laughing emoji.

The person later responded that they were making a universal statement that wasn’t necessarily directed at him, commenting, “@teamswish like it’s best to… I’m not even saying I’m not comfortable for you or anything and my comment was only towards you… I say to all those that do that.”

Adding, “I don’t know why you take it as disrespectful… and by the way, I’m very happy with my family… stay blessed and enjoy your new bundle of joy.”

One reason Smith could have been on the defensive is the years he and Patton made headlines for their budding romance while he was still married to his wife, Shirley “Jewel” Smith.

Smith married Jewel in 2016 and announced their separation in 2022 amid rumors about his relationship with Patton. There were reports that considered one of them had filed for divorce.

The rumors began in late 2019 when Smith and Patton were spotted at several events, including a Halloween party in October of that 12 months, during which “Riverdale” star Vanessa Morgan took a photo of them and posted it on her Instagram, causing controversy spark. In my opinion, it raises a lot of controversy People then.

JR Smith is cheating with Candice Patton? Lmao. Texas women ain’t shit pic.twitter.com/v7vcyRJD5G

— Forever Trill🇳🇬 🇰🇪 🇧🇸 (@mccauley713) December 18, 2019

However, things became more public when Jewel posted a candid video on social media wherein she prayed about their marital problems and hinted at an affair.

“God, I want to lift up my husband and ask You, Lord, Father God, to just cover him with Your blood,” she said in prayer, asking: “Wherever he is broken, repair him (and) yourself to heal him.”

She continued, “My husband is hurting and Candice, Lord Father God, she is hurting. For her to come out here, Lord Father God, and search for a married man, Father God, I just pray that You would give her grace and mercy through all of this. I pick it up.

Ultimately, the couple broke up, leading Smith and Patton to stop hiding the undeniable fact that they were together.

Candice Patton, JR Smith, Matthew Kang and guests of the Arizona golf club, pic.twitter.com/5RSSnanwe8

— ⚡❤️ WestAllen / Grandice ❤️⚡ (@GenotHariette) April 17, 2023

Their separation marked the top of a marriage that faced many challenges, including health problems for their daughter Dakota, who was born prematurely in 2017.

The latest baby means 4 for Smith. In addition to his two daughters with Jewel, he has a 15-year-old daughter named Demi from a previous relationship.

Four-time Oscar-winning actor Clint Eastwood appears to be finding support as he copes with the loss of his longtime girlfriend, Christina Sandera, who died of a heart attack at the age of 61.

Just months after her unexpected death in July, the Hollywood icon, best known for her role in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” appears to be reuniting.

Eastwood was recently spotted with an apparent newfound affection at his Mission Ranch hotel and restaurant in Carmel, California, where he once served as mayor, According to to RadarOnline. Interestingly, the 94-year-old actor met Sandera at this ranch-style hotel as a housekeeper.

The publication reported that its alleged source stated, “For most people, dating again after such a loss would be surprising, but Eastwood is 94 years old and knows he needs to enjoy life to the fullest.”

People near the actor hoped he would realize that “Christina was not his entire way of life” and expressed hope that he would “not become even more of a recluse than he already is.”

They noticed that over the past few years, Eastwood had begun to age and his appearance was starting to deteriorate.

“He has lost weight, is frail and emaciated and cannot walk without a noticeable hump. “Moving involves a lot of effort and struggle,” the source said.

Just a random age difference of 33 years

— Ron (@SummedUpwithRon) July 19, 2024

If the rumors about him dating again are true, this new date could possibly be exactly what the “Dirty Harry” actor must get back heading in the right direction – to enjoy the rest of his days with a loving companion. Insiders say he has already introduced his new love to his “inner circle.”

Although the legendary actor who spent 65 years in Hollywood is leaving, public opinion is mixed Instagram.

Some support his decision with comments like: “He’s 94, he doesn’t have time to wait” and “Oh yeah, he’s the GOAT… he’s not wasting his precious time.”

Another joked: “The guy is one step away from death, he should get it when he can.”

One person celebrated their decision, saying: “It’s good. Life is too short, have fun.”

Others, nevertheless, were less approving.

Comments ranged from “Disrespectful” and “Sounds like a man,” together with eye-rolling emojis, to asking, “I wonder if he stole the cradle.”

Another noted: “Some woman has to take care of him a method or one other. It’s an old baby.

Even though Eastwood hasn’t made a movie since 2021, he’s still making headlines. Apart from his love life, individuals are also focused on his former homes.

His old estate in Carmel-by-the-Sea, where he lived in the Eighties and ’90s, recently sold for $18.55 million. The property, sold by Frederick O’Such, a retired investor who bought it from Eastwood in 1996 for $2.25 million, returned 724.44% According to to Realtor.com.

Eastwood became the talk of the house when his 27-year-old daughter Morgan, the youngest of his eight biological children (Laurie, the oldest, was older than his late ex), recently made him a grandfather again.

On Sunday, October 6, Morgan and her husband Tanner Koopmans posted several photos of their two-week-old daughter on Instagram, noting that the baby is healthy and settling into the home. She with subtitles post “Two weeks with our Cleo”.

The baby was born just a few months after Morgan and Tanner married at Eastwood’s hotel in June 2024. Their intimate wedding was attended by 130 guests, including seven of her siblings.

Unfortunately, their honeymoon was cut short by Sandera’s death just over a month later.

In tribute, Morgan posted a photo of Sandera from her wedding on Instagram. In the photo, Eastwood stands smiling next to his daughter, and Sandera poses next to the groom.

With Christina at Morgan’s daughter’s wedding, June 15, 2024… pic.twitter.com/3MUdhsYlll

— Clint Eastwood (@EastwoodMalpaso) August 3, 2024

Morgan added the caption: “A devastating loss for our entire family. Thank you, Christina, for being a good partner to my dad. You will be greatly missed.”