大象传媒

Financial educator Alvin Hall explores how the American gospel music genre has been affected by commercialisation.

Gospel's uplifting and rejoicing sound is world famous, a multi million-dollar music genre that in many ways has ended up the beating heart of American popular music.

But can gospel be gospel if it entertains and makes money as well as praises the Lord?

In the first of two episodes, Alvin examines gospel's journey from the church to the charts through the music of Thomas Dorsey, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. Now considered some of gospel's greatest artists, these early singers all met with strong criticism from the church as they took their songs from the sacred world into the secular.

Alvin also reveals how other gospel performers in the first half of the 20th century struggled fulfilling their religious obligations whilst battling with the temptations of life on the road.

Producer: James Hale

First broadcast on 大象传媒 Radio in January 2016.