Gospel Music Heritage Month
For quite some time now hundreds of thousands of Americans have been inspired by the harmonious tones of Gospel Music Choirs. This unique form of music has, in many ways, helped to shape the face of the nation yet it has taken until now for it to receive the recognition it deserves.
Gospel Music Channel set out to recognize the legacy of gospel music in June when it joined with Congress, Senators, The Recording Academy and The Gospel Music Association (GMA). The result? The House of Representatives and the Senate chose to designate September 2008 as “Gospel Music Heritage Month”. In doing so, they have chosen to honor what is seen by many as being a true American art form because of the unique role it has played in shaping the nation, providing inspiration and hope to people of different racial and religious backgrounds. The month will be celebrated across a variety of media platforms, live events and concerts which are set to take place during the course of the month of September. The largest contributors to the event will be The Recording Academy and the Gospel Music Channel, though the entire Christian/Gospel music industry will be involved in the celebrations. Every effort will be made to showcase this dynamic and inspiring music genre, with the biggest names in the business getting most of the attention by way of network premieres, original specials, series, documentaries, music videos and much more. The various items will be shown both on-air and online.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, you’d better make sure you don’t miss out on all the hullabaloo. You can spend your month watching gospel, listening to gospel, attending live concerts and learning more about gospel than you ever thought possible. Concerts will take place across the nation at chosen religious and other venues. The event will start with the BMI Urban Awards at the Wilshire Theater in Beverly Hills on September 4 and it will end with The Blind Boys of Alabama with Preservation Hall Jazz Band which can be viewed at the University Turner Auditorium in Buies Creek, North Carolina. Gospel lovers should make sure that they don’t miss out on this event.