The Ten Best Gospel Music CDs of All Time!
Before you take a look at my list of the top 10 gospel CDs of all time, I have a small confession to make. I don't like modern gospel music. There, I said it. For me, gospel music died around 1960. Up until then, the black church was one of the most influential forces in American popular music. It spilled out into all sorts of different genres, and in some cases served as a driving force behind the emergence of brand-new musical forms — like soul, funk, doo wop, and rock 'n' roll.

But by around 1960, most of the innovative performers that were coming out of the church — like James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Aretha Franklin — were opting for the money and fame of secular music. And as a result, gospel music, which was once such a rich source of musical ideas and innovation, became derivative of many of the same secular forms that once followed the gospel lead.

OK, there's my explanation. I realize there are a great many people out there that would vehemently disagree with me, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. So, without further ado, this is my top ten list of what some might call "roots" religious music or something like that … but I call it the best gospel albums EVER!

10. Kings of the Gospel Highway: The Golden Age of Gospel Quartets — Various Artists (Shanachie 2000)
If you want to get a great overview of the finest black gospel vocal groups from the heyday of the genre, this is the one to get. With songs carefully chosen by writer and researcher Anthony Heilbut, this collection represents the dominant musical styles of close-harmony gospel singing during the 1940s and 1950s.

For that hard-driving, shouting gospel sound, there's the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, the Sensational Nightingales, and the Spirit of Memphis. For silky smooth falsetto crooning, you get the Swan Silvertones with their lead singer Brother Claude Jeter. For intricate group vocal arrangements and dual lead interchanges, you get the Pilgrim Travelers. And for perhaps the finest of all the gospel quartet leads, there's the Soul Stirrers featuring the unparalleled vocal flights of lead tenor R.H. Harris, whose masterful style and technique would influence virtually every gospel singer to follow, including Sam Cooke.

Most of these songs come from relatively rare 78s, so there is surface noise on almost every track. But they've done a terrific job limiting the noise without sucking the life out of the music. My only minor gripe with this collection is the exclusion of the Dixie Hummingbirds; but with a running time of over 70 minutes, it seems like they simply ran out of room.

HIGHLIGHT(S): With a collection so varied (and spectacular!) as this one, it's difficult to pick a favorite moment. The Five Blind Boys' earth-shaking rendition of Will My Jesus Be Waiting? is the most ferocious quartet recording I've ever heard (Archie Brownlee is a monster!). And Claude Jeter?s falsetto opening of the Silvertones' All Aboard is delicate and absolutely beautiful. But this collection's finest moment may be R.H. Harris's swinging improvisation at the close of the Soul Stirrers' Does Jesus Care?. You'll have to hear it to believe it!

9. American Primitive Vol. 1: Raw Pre-War Gospel — Various Artists (Revenant 1998)
Guitarist John Fahey founded Revenant Records in the mid-1990s. His mission was to make available "the work of great, uncompromising artists, undiluted by commercial meddling." Revenant releases have included jazz experimentalist Cecil Taylor, rockabilly pioneer Charlie Feathers, and avant-garde rocker Captain Beefheart. American Primitive gathers extremely raw gospel recordings from 1926 through 1936. Audiophiles beware — these are rough recordings transferred to CD from old beat-up 78s. There is not a single track that I would say sounds "good." But each one offers a fascinating glimpse into a dim corner of American gospel music.

In the mid-1920s, record companies discovered there was a market for self-accompanied street musicians, both sacred and secular. In many cases, virtually nothing is known about the performers. They ventured into the studio a few times, were paid a flat sum for their services, and disappeared. (In some cases, established blues musicians like Charley Patton were encouraged to do sacred tunes, often under pseudonyms.) American Primitive gathers the best of these early street musicians. Most of the recordings feature one or two singers accompanied by a guitar, and maybe a tambourine or harmonica. They sing about the religious implications of current events, warnings against the evils of sin, and the promise of release in the afterlife. It's an important historical and musical document.

HIGHLIGHT: Honey in the Rock — Blind Mamie Forehand. Accompanied by her husband (or brother?) A.C. on guitar, Blind Mamie delivers one of the sweetest vocal performances in the history of gospel music on this plaintive tune. She keeps time with a bell, identified by some as finger cymbals and by others as a bell from a hotel front desk!