As I hope we’ve shown in our first three episodes for this series, the formative years of Gospel music were convoluted, with elements coming from every which way.

It was about formalism, and yet it was simultaneously about self-expression. It was about surrendering yourself to a greater force, but it was also about portraying single-minded strength in the face of power. In the1930s, Gospel music started to coalesce, and the main force that held it together happened to be one of its strangest bedfellows. Since its inception, Blues music was condemned by religious groups as work of the devil, and it was spurned by virtually every level of church ministry, and yet blues artists played one of the most significant roles in popularizing Gospel music to a broad group of listeners. Even now, 100 years later, the blues-based gospel songs retain their power and integrity.

In this show we cover a few of those songs, including:

John the Revelator – Blind Willie Johnson

Nobody’s Fault But Mine – Blind Willie Johnson

Let Your Light Shine on Me – Blind Willie Johnson

The Soul of Man – Blind Willie Johnson

Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground – Blind Willie Johnson

If I Had My Way, I’d Tear the Building Down – Blind Willie Johnson

Denomination Blues – Washington Phillips

 Lift Him Up, That’s All – Washington Phillips

He Is My Story – Arizona Dranes and Choir

My Soul Is a Witness – Arizona Dranes

I Am the True Vine – Rev Gary Davis

Death Don’t Have No Mercy – Rev. Gary Davis

I Belong to the Band – Hallelujah! – Rev. Gary Davis

That’s No Way to Get Along – Robert Wilkins