The Gospel; It’s a sound that is deeply embedded in Black culture and one that rings out about strength, courage, wisdom, and community.
Storytellers Stacey L. Holman and Shayla Harris team up, once again, with host Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to bring us the newest docuseries from PBS. Throughout history, African-Americans have been at the front of musical revolution. GOSPEL tells the story of Black spirituality and how it has been, and continues to be, expressed through sermon and song.
“Gospel is an important story to understand because it’s not just black history, it’s American history,” Harris told The Knockturnal. “Gospel has influenced all kinds of music, contemporary music from R&B and soul to
rock’n’roll. So I think understanding the roots and development and evolution of this art form will help
you understand American history and American culture.”
The docuseries, spanning four hours, tells the history of Gospel music and sermon and how those two entities have intertwined and embedded themselves into an art. Gates speaks with clergymen, singers and scholars on their connection to the music and sound of the church. The series also features many notable figures like Dionne Warwick, U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, Rev. Otis Moss III, professor Michael Eric Dyson. Viewers will also get to see many stunning musical performances of Gospel favorites.
Holman and Harris told us they want audiences to understand that Gospel music is not only a combination of many types of music, but in that combination it has become it’s own art form.
“We also want people to understand that Gospel is many things.” Holman told us. “It’s Blues, it’s jazz, it’s hip-
hop, it’s R&B, it’s funk. It lives in many different spaces. And definitely, that Gospel is good news in dark
times.”
Holman remembers growing up in the church and her journey of understanding God. In that journey, she found Gospel. “it was magnificent,” she told us, speaking about watching the Weeden Family singers. “Just the range and array of voices impacted and influenced me and my appreciation of Gospel.”
Harris, on the other hand, found Gospel music through black radio. “So there is a way that a lot of people don’t experience Gospel inside church and I think that’s one of the innovations about this art form,” she told us. “It’s reached the audiences beyond, even just the Black Church.”
Rewind to a few years ago, when Harris, Holman, and Gates released their first docuseries with PBS entitled Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song. The series scratched the surface of the history and tale of what the Black Church really is. Harris views their new series as a continuation of that, delving deeper into the music and the sermon. “…we didn’t really get a chance to go deep into what Gospel is and really what the art of preaching is since we were talking about the institution.”
Following that, Harris added “…This series seemed like an opportunity to unpack those other three things: the preacher, the music, and the frenzy, and how they are intertwined, coexist, and cross-pollinate with each other and form the foundation of the Black spiritual experience.”
Besides telling this rich story in only four hours, packed with beautiful live performances that allow audiences to experience the feeling of the Gospel, “…we’re just proud of the “gumbo” that we created,” Holman told us.
The docuseries premieres February 12 & 13 on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App.
Read the full Q&A below:
Why do you feel this is an important story to be told?
Shayla Harris
What do you want audiences to take away from this series?
Stacey L. Holman
How do you feel connected to gospel music and the story this series is highlighting?
What inspired you to make this series?
What are you most proud of with this series?