Gospel in the Secular World

This 'folio' of concert performances tests the central theory and related assumptions proposed by Johnson-Reagon, Boyer, Maultsby, Burnhim, and most recently Legg, in that African American gospel music is the cornerstone and progenitor of all contemporary popular music, and that therefore its resonance with non-African American communities can be traced to this underlying and significant 'gospel impulse' - as described by Craig Werner in "A Change Is Gonna Come". The SGC under my direction, curation and leadership continues to push the boundaries in creating new and unusual contexts in which contemporary gospel music finds a significant audience. Through my African american gospel-based rearrangements and re creation of secular songs, as well as the placement of sacred African American gospel music into a traditionally secular environment, i continue to test the validity, relevance and resonance of this culturally sensitive and informed musical genre. The analysis of this process, based on this folio of concert performances, is in part described and discussed in the my most recent published article (CPM), and in my co-authored book chapter (This Is My City - Rowtledge).