Living the Life I Sing: Gospel Music from the Dorsey Era to the Millennium

"Living the Life I Sing: Gospel Music from the Dorsey Era to the Millennium discusses the foundations of gospel music and how the form has developed across time to create a genre that reaches far beyond its geographical borders. In addition, it addresses the future of the genre and considers its place in the general music industry.

Section One explores the development of Gospel music, including its transition from the secular path of the blues to a path of sacred spirituality. Section Two focuses on the rise and role of the Black church in spreading Gospel music. Topics include the development of a Gospel methodology, the resistance of the Black press to “swinging” spirituals, the promise of and challenges to contemporary Gospel , and the value of live recording.

Living the Life I Sing compiles an outstanding selection of resources to chronicle Gospel music from its blues-based foundation to its role in the lives of a post-millennial generation. The book is well-suited to courses on African-American music, those on the music business, religious music, and African-American history. It can also be used in music workshops.

Alphonso Simpson, Jr., a professor of African-American studies at Western Illinois University, received his Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis on African-American music and music education from the University of Wyoming. He is founder and director of United Voices of Western Inspirational Singers, a student-based gospel choir.

Thomas A. Dorsey III is principal attorney in the Dorsey Law Office in Springfield, Illinois. He is the public relations director of the National Convention of Gospel Choirs and Choruses, Inc. and founder of the Thomas A. Dorsey Project to preserve and promote the legacy of the Father of Gospel Music."