EP 17: Mavis Staples and The Staple Singers. Gospel, Folk, Funk or Soul. Or All Of The Above.

So what is gospel music? Google’s AI says that gospel music is a style of Christian music that originated in African American communities. It’s characterized by rhythmic, spiritual melodies and harmonies. Gospel music often includes call-and-response, group singing, and refrains. Oxford dictionary adds that gospel music is about the teachings of Jesus,

According to the Smithsonian, the great Mahalia Jackson was known as the “Queen of Gospel Music.” One of Mahalia Jackson’ earliest recordings Move On Up A Little Higher from 1947 is in the National Recording Registry. Meaning it is seen as a significant song and recording in the history of American recordings. But it does not have harmony, call and response or a group or choir. It is just her, a piano and organ and almost sounds more like the blues than church music. But if indeed she was the queen, and yes she was, then we will say it is gospel because a gospel singer sang it. 

Hank Williams is primarily thought of as a country western singer. But Williams like Elvis did do gospel songs. His I Saw The Light being a great example. So white, rural, country western, no choir, no preaching can still be gospel as well. Therefore gospel seems to be a much broader term than Google or the dictionary would have us believe. 

So if country and blues can be gospel did the Rolling Stones sing gospel? Yes they did. They covered an old gospel song originally recorded by the Staple Singers. The lines defining musical genera are often not very clear when you start looking closely at the last 70 years of popular music. Yet, few singers have expanded what gospel music could be, and along with it expanded all of popular music, than Pops Staples, Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers. Their music went from gospel to folk to soul to funk often all at the same time.