Traditional black gospel

==Influence==
Gospel artists, who had been influenced by pop music trends for years, had a major influence on early [[rhythm and blues]] artists, particularly the "bird groups" such as [[the Orioles]], [[the Ravens]] and [[the Flamingos]], who applied gospel quartets' [[a cappella]] techniques to pop songs in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. These groups based their music on sounds they had been singing in church and were now releasing gospel-styled reworking of songs for a secular audience.<ref>Handyside, Chris, A History of American Music : Soul and R&B, Heinemann Raintree Library, p. 8</ref> The influence of gospel was apparent in new versions of pop standards or new songs in a pop style.<ref>Campbell, Michael, Popular Music in America, Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2013, p. 185</ref>
[[Elvis Presley]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]] and [[Little Richard]] were rock 'n' roll pioneers with a religious background. Like other artists, these pioneers were stylistically influenced by gospel and it contributed to their music. Elvis was successful in performing his gospel favorites, "Why me Lord", ''[[How Great Thou Art (hymn)|How Great Thou Art]],'' and "You'll never walk alone". For all of his success as a rock 'n' roll singer, he only received awards for his gospel recordings.<ref>Thurber, Cheryl, Elvis and Gospel Music, The Gospel Music Magazine, 1988</ref>

Individual gospel artists, such as [[Sam Cooke]], a former member of the [[Soul Stirrers]], and secular artists who borrowed heavily from gospel, such as [[Ray Charles]], [[James Brown (musician)|James Brown]], [[James Booker]] and [[Jackie Wilson]], had an even greater impact later in the 1950s, helping to create [[soul music]] by bringing even more gospel inspired harmonies and traditions from rhythm and blues.<ref>PBS.org, 20th Century Music, Public Broadcasting Service</ref><ref>Handyside, Chris, A History of American Music : Soul and R&B, Heinemann Raintree Library, p.10</ref>
Many of the most prominent soul artists, such as [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Otis Redding]], [[Marvin Gaye]], [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Wilson Pickett]] and [[Al Green]], had roots in the church and gospel music and brought with them much of the vocal styles of artists such as Clara Ward and [[Julius Cheeks]]. The underlying virtues of soul/R&B music taken from gospel, is the direct emotional delivery, truth to a spirit and the feeling within a song transmitted to the listener.<ref>"Soul Music's History, soulmusichistory.net</ref>  During the 1970s, artists like [[Edwin Hawkins]] with the 1969 hit "[[Oh Happy Day]]", and [[Andraé Crouch]]'s hit "Take me Back" were big inspirations on gospel music and crossover successes. Both Hawkins and Crouch incorporated secular music styles into gospel, shaping modern contemporary christian music today.<ref>McNeil, W.K., "Encyclopedia of American gospel music", Routledge, 2010</ref>

Secular songwriters often appropriated gospel songs, such as the Pilgrim Travelers' song "I've Got A New Home", or the [[Doc Pomus]] song [[Ray Charles]] turned into a hit "[[Lonely Avenue]]", or "[[Stand by Me (Ben E. King song)|Stand By Me]]", which [[Ben E. King]] and [[Leiber and Stoller]] adapted from a well-known gospel song, or [[Marvin Gaye]]'s "[[Can I Get a Witness]]", which reworks traditional gospel catchphrases. In other cases secular musicians did the opposite, attaching phrases and titles from the gospel tradition to secular songs to create soul hits such as "[[Come See About Me]]" for [[The Supremes]] and "99½ Won't Do" for [[Wilson Pickett]].

When roots music (which including spirituals) became popular in the 1960s and 1970s, a combination of the powerful rhythm and timbres found in spirituals and "hard gospel" combined with the instrumentation and lyrical content of R&B and country contributed to various forms of rock music.
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