Gospel Music Association

== History ==

The GMA was founded in 1964 to promote gospel music.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Westover |first=Jonas |year=2013 |title=Gospel Music Association |url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-1002249657 |access-date=April 11, 2020 |website=[[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|Grove Music Online]] |doi=10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2249657|isbn=978-1-56159-263-0 }}</ref> It was created as an extension of the National Quartet Convention, a convention devoted to [[Southern gospel]] that had been operating since 1956.<ref name="cusic">Cusic, Don, ed. ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music: Pop, Rock and Worship''. ABC-CLIO, 2009, pp. 223-224.</ref> Its founding board included [[Don Butler]], [[Cecil Blackwood|Cecil]] and [[James Blackwood]], [[Vestal Goodman]], [[Charlie Lamb]], [[Don Light]], and [[J.D. Sumner]], and its first president was [[Tennessee Ernie Ford]].<ref name=cusic/><ref>W.K. McNeil, ed. ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music''. Routledge, 2013, pp. 149–150.</ref> In its early years, it faced competition from the United States Gospel Music Association, a for-profit entity also focused on gospel music.<ref>"Editorial Notes Differences in Gospel Music Assn. and GMA". ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', October 22, 1966. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=-SgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22gospel+music+association%22&pg=PA54 Google Books])</ref> It began organizing the [[Dove Awards]] in 1969,<ref name=":0" /> which eventually expanded into an awards ceremony covering the whole of Christian music. The Dove Awards had their [[50th GMA Dove Awards|50th ceremony]] in 2019.<ref>[https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/05/14/gma-honors-and-hall-fame-ceremony-part-landmark-year/3671047002/ GMA Honors and Hall of Fame ceremony part of landmark year for Gospel Music Association]. ''[[The Tennessean]]'', May 14, 2019.</ref> By 1976, the GMA was well-established, with its award show bringing recognition to Christian music.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cusic |first=Don |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gUDROVX5Du4C |title=The Sound of Light: A History of Gospel and Christian Music |publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-634-02938-7 |location=Milwaukee |pages=282 |language=en}}</ref>

In the 1970s and 1980s, tension and conflict emerged between [[Southern gospel]] and the newer developments of [[Jesus music]] and [[Contemporary Christian music]].<ref name=":1">Cusic, Don. 2002. p. 377–380</ref><ref name=":2">Goff, James R. 2002. p. 271–274</ref> Southern gospel conservatives had been resistant to [[racial integration]], and even as they were slowly becoming more receptive to integration, the new developments in Christian music resulted in Southern gospel becoming increasingly marginalized by music consumers and losing influence in the GMA.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Cheatham |first=Russ |title=Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Volume 8: Genres: North America |date=March 8, 2012 |publisher=[[A&C Black]] |isbn=978-1-4411-6078-2 |editor-last=Hornd |editor-first=David |volume=8: Genres: North America |location=New York and London |pages=252 |language=en |chapter=Gospel Music, White |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HZQemZyozqwC&pg=PA252}}</ref> Many Southern conservatives, including members of the GMA, also disapproved of rock music and felt that the newer styles of gospel music being promoted by the GMA indicated that the organization was essentially moving into an alliance with the "enemy".<ref>Goff, James R. 2002. p. 272</ref> The Southern gospel industry became disenchanted with the direction that the GMA was heading and a new organization, the Southern Gospel Music Association, was formed by Charles Waller.<ref name=":4">Cusic, Don. 2002. p. 379</ref> However, in 1985, this organization was absorbed by the GMA.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> A new, independent [[Southern Gospel Music Association]] was formed in 1995.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Cusic, Don. 2002. p. 380</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Goff |first=James R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJQtrJNvo7gC&pg=PA277 |title=Close Harmony: A History of Southern Gospel |date=2002 |publisher=UNC Press Books |isbn=978-0-8078-5346-7 |language=en}}</ref>