9781422274408

Slaves work in a cotton field in South Carolina. The songs that slaves sang while working often had Christian themes, and were forerunners to today’s gospel music.

electric guitar. This expanded instrumentation influenced a broad variety of musical forms and made gospel music, arguably, the most critical music style for African-American and general American pop music. The Earliest Roots of Gospel Gospel music can be broken down into two different sub-genres: that practiced by African-Americans and traditional Christian gospel music. The two styles are very different and should not be confused. While both genres will use similar lyrics and sing many of the same songs—including traditional hymns—the approach to the music varies massively.

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R&B, Soul, and Gospel

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