Books to read

In this day of internet access almost everywhere, and e-mails and text messaging and the like, reading a book might seem almost passe or "old school" at best.

Nevertheless, there is nothing like reading a good book for enjoyment, cheap entertainment, or best of all...education and edification.

Education? John, are you some kind of boring, "nerd" type person?

Well...yes...sometimes, anyway. The fact that this blog is here and I write for the top southern gospel internet website proves that I spend more than my share of time online, but when I'm not online, the chances are excellent that you will find my face buried inside a book, doing my best to soak up the information I read on its' pages.

And much of what I've learned about gospel music over the last 40 years, I've learned from books.

Yes, my collection of 800+ gospel LPs has undoubtedly been of help in my learning as much about this wonderful music as I could. And the various concerts I've been blessed in my life to attend have been key as well.

But the books have brought the legends of gospel music to life to me in ways that, short of meeting every single person I read about, I could not have learned otherwise.

So I recommend that if you want to learn more about the gospel music I talk about here...go check out a good book about it.

Such as, John?

Well, I'll discuss a few books I either have or want to have that I think would be indispensable to any serious fan of gospel music. Sure, I may leave some good ones out. That's what your comments are for...to cover ground I might accidentally neglect, and to make this blog more worth reading!:-)

In no particular order, here are some noteworthy titles to peruse...

1) MURRAY'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC-this is fellow blogger and gospel music enthusiast, critic, and musician David Bruce Murray's one volume encyclopedia of the musci. This is the one book on this all-too-short list I don't have, and have yet to read fully. Nonetheless, knowing David's thoroughness and desire for accuracy, and his writing skills, and what little I've seen of the book already, I can recommend David's book to any gospel music enthusiast, or any aspiring gospel music enthusiast.

David's book attempts to cover the breadth of artists and styles involved in making our gospel music what it is today. And if you don't have the resources to buy a lot of old records, or to go to a number of libraries across the country, this one volume book is a good beginning to acquire a lot of general knowledge of gospel music and its history.

One of these days, I'll order my oen copy from David, or await a complimentary copy from David himself(are you reading this, David?)...but I fully intend to add his book to my collection of "must reads".

2)THE MUSIC MEN-Bob Terrell's masterful 1990 history of gospel quartet music from its' very earliest beginnings to its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. It is not so much a careful history book as it is an impressionistic look at gospel music through a number of its' most colorful and interestting performers. To me, the real value of the book is in the words of the singers Terrell focuses on throughout the book. There are a lot of great "inside" stories there from a lot of the most noteworthy gospel greats...and that makes for fun reading. There are some errors and factual omissions in the book...but for a birds-eye view of gospel music from some of its' all-time greats, it's hard to beat Terrell's book. I would call "The Music Men" a must have for gospel music fans. It's out of print...but if you can, find this book...and buy it! And enjoy it...if you love gospel music, I'm certain you will!

3)THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JD SUMNER-an autobiography of one of the true greats of gospel music, assisted by Terrell. During his life, Sumner was one of gospel music's most colorful and outspoken personalities, as well as one of its most innovative minds and outstanding leaders. His life story is consequently interesting enough, but his first hand tales of some of gospel music's more interesting events and his commentary on "Ministering and Entertaining" are must reads for gospel music fans, particularly those who want to read an eloquent expression of those views from one of the industry's true giants. This is a must have book for those who love gospel music...it's also out of print, but worth getting if you can find it.

4)ABOVE ALL-Kree Jack Racine's 1968 story of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet is much like Terrell's "Music Men"...there are lots of first person anecdotes that help tell the story of one of gospel' most illustrious and renowned artists. For a number of years, it was THE book to read if you wanted to know the true story of the Blackwood Brothers. Even now, the book remains one of gospel music's "must have" books.

5)THE JAMES BLACKWOOD STORY-as is this 1975 book, ghosted by Dan Martin. It is the story of the Blackwoods and their most famous member, told from first-hand recollections. I would say that this, too, is one of gospel music's "must have" books...as with most of the above titles, it is out of print...but worth finding...and worth getting.

6)CLOSE HARMONY-this 2000 book by James Goff is easily my favorite of the gospel music books I'm aware of. It is the most complete, researched, organized, and academic of the many books on gospel music. Goff writes not only from the background of a longtime gospel music fan, but from a broader historic and sociological base, and more than anyone else, writes about gospel music and its' place in American society over the years. The book goes in depth into the early history of gospel music with detailed analysis from a societal and eccelesiastical standpoint, giving equal time to gospel music's boom years(the 1940s and 1950s)and even going into the 1950s, 1960s, and the turbulent times of the 1970s onward until today, discussing in depth all of the issues gospel music has had to deal with through every era of its existence. For a serious, educated, and analytical look at the broad history of gospel music, I feel Goff's book has no equal....hence its cover endorsements from such diverse sources as Bill Gaither and Dolly Parton.

Again, I realize there are many other fine books I've overlooked. Maybe I can cover them in a future entry, or maybe you can touch on them in your comments. But I hope this list is a start for good gospel music reading for all of you.

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