A New Year, a New Beginning for reflecting on Black British Gospel Music

The editors of a new book about British Gospel share the inspiration behind it and how they hope it will encourage deeper reflection about this transformative musical genre

It is an exciting time to study Black British gospel music. Over the years, its growth has been immense, and some luminaries have already captured details about its advancement in books, magazines, and social media posts. However, whilst acknowledging the early reflections and insights of others, our new book, Black British Gospel Music: From the Windrush Generation to Black Lives Matter, is unique.

It showcases experienced and junior scholars and practitioners from various disciplines, such as media, theology, performing arts, musicology, congregational studies, and cultural studies. Ten authors have come together to examine the diverse musical streams contributing to and flowing out of Black British gospel music as a significant genre.

Black British Gospel Music: From the Windrush Generation to Black Lives Matter interprets many facets of the British sound – both historically and in the present day – demonstrating multiple perspectives on British gospel music from researchers based in the UK and the US.

As editors, our faith and commitment to the Black British Christian community have strongly informed the shape and topics of the book. Whilst it is not a history book or a book that focuses on notable figures, it examines what gospel music means and how it works in the context of communities. These communities include various Black-majority churches (BMCs), community choirs, and ‘secular’ popular music scenes. It is intended to generate reflections that provoke new insights about how Black British gospel music has evolved, is expressed, and has wider influences.

Each chapter is affirmative and analytical. For example, Dulcie Dixon McKenzie’s chapter provides a historical framework that foregrounds the experience and contribution of ‘Windrush Pentecostals’ who devised a religious space for unrestricted Christian congregational worship. However, she raises questions about the lack of knowledge about this in the public imagination. She points to a longstanding, uncritical acceptance of the American historical narrative of Black gospel music commonly used to tell the ‘history’ of Black British gospel music. Although the story of Black gospel music in the US is inspiring, it doesn’t accurately represent the historical development of Black Gospel in Britain. Dulcie redirects attention to the Caribbean to better understand the religious foundations of Black gospel music amongst Windrush Pentecostals and their descendants.

Monique Ingalls’s chapter examines why singers from different racial and religious backgrounds join gospel community choirs. She notes that, at the same time as many Black-majority churches were trading their choirs for worship teams, gospel choirs were rising in popularity outside the churches – in secondary schools, universities, hospitals, and community settings. Her chapter will challenge church leaders to rethink the role and significance of choirs, as they provide a unique way of cultivating talent within churches, and can also be used as a means of outreach to the community. 

Pauline Muir’s chapter invites us to consider song selections more critically, with the awareness that representatives of Black-majority churches are largely invisible in the official structures for congregational music, namely the Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI). This raises questions about what we sing, why, and whether the songs we sing in our churches genuinely reflect the history and heritage of our religious aesthetic practice. Additionally, what do these songs say about the history of our communities? What are the omissions, and what could be celebrated? 

We hope to extend the conversation beyond the church walls and to open new questions for practitioners and leaders. Additionally, an important goal is to bring this under-researched area to the attention of the scholarly community. Given its multidisciplinary nature, it will be relevant to a wide range of fields, including theology, the humanities and social sciences. We hope to demonstrate the significance of the genre across multiple conversations happening in universities – both in the UK and further afield – where a Black British perspective may be lacking.

Our book is already being used as a textbook in university classes in Black culture, church music, and worship in the UK, the US and Nigeria. It could also be used as a tool for media practitioners seeking source material to open up timely questions and thoughtful critique. By modelling cutting-edge scholarship with a biblical worldview, we hope it will be valuable to all students, especially those questioning their faith.

In short, we hope this book will encourage, challenge and inspire existing and new generations of scholars, worship leaders, and gospel music makers and followers.

Academics Dr Dulcie A. Dixon McKenzie, Pauline E. Muir, and Monique M. Ingalls are editors of Black British Gospel Music: From the Windrush Generation to Black Lives Matter.