From early spirituals to urban gospel, this definitive guide to gospel music expounds in great detail upon the most highly praised but least well known of the influences to contemporary rock, soul, and rap. Far beyond its immediate image of robed choirs, gospel through its solo singers and quartets, its impresarios and recording companies has helped to give voice to the history of black people in America as well as shaping more obviously secular musical forms such as blues and rock and roll. In this compelling and lively study, the story of gospel is told against the backdrop of over a century and a half of social and economic changes taking place in America. Its history is traced from its earliest expressions on the plantations of the south to initial influences in churches, its movement into the mainstream of popular music, and on to its major period of popularity and influence in the middle decades of the 20th century.