top Gospel Music ringtones
view all Gospel artists
artists a-z
Top Gospel artists
Traditionally viewed as church choir music, Gospel has broken out of its religious edifice to reach a large population of America. In its broadest sense, Gospel has become any inspirational, Christian form of music. However there are certainly distinct branches of the genre. The most commonly associated with the moniker is the Black Gospel music of African-American churches based on hymns. The churchgoers were encouraged to declare, sing and dance their praise to the Lord, and these celebrations were recorded in the 1920s to sometimes include a mix of many styles of music including boogie-woogie. Thomas A. Dorsey is generally considered as the “Father of Gospel Music.” Though his blending of popular, non-religious styles (like jazz and blues) with hymns was met with outrage by conservatives who wanted to keep the music “pure,” eventually, most Black churches adopted this very emotive style of worship. The other main branch of Gospel is sung by mostly Southern and predominantly white congregations. The two branches have much crossover despite its boundaries originally defined by segregated churches. Black Gospel has had an incredible influence on its white counterparts to transcend mere singing in church to a physical and soul-shaking experience, drawing many closer to the message of the music by the sheer intensity of its delivery. Mahalia Jackson was the most celebrated of female Gospel singers in the 1950s and 60s, singing in public ceremonies as well as earning an impressive recording contract. James Cleveland was another luminary of the time and topped the charts with four Grammys. Gospel musicians increasingly crossed over to mainstream popularity in the 1950s and 60s. Sam Cooke showed the first example of this, followed by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and scores of other artists who achieved commercial success.
- 14 Ringtones Mandisa
- 6 Ringtones Marvin Sapp
- 16 Ringtones Canton Jones
- 1 Ringtone Yolanda Adams
- 11 Ringtones Kirk Franklin
- 1 Ringtone Jeff Majors
- 1 Ringtone Jonathan Nelson
- 2 Ringtones Valerie Jolivet
