Modern Gospel Was Born on the South Side. Here’s Its Story.

Gospel music has roots in southern spirituals during slavery and migrated north during the Great Migration in the early 1900s. Chicago has staked its claim as the birthplace of modern gospel thanks to Bronzeville’s Pilgrim Baptist Church and Thomas Dorsey, its choir director for 50 years. In the 1930s, Dorsey blended the style and chords of blues music with the praise and worship of traditional gospel hymns, and iconic singers like Mahalia Jackson took the sound global. We talk with writer and producer Stacy Robinson about the new WTTW documentary “Birth of Gospel” and Chicago’s place in music history. It will premiere Friday at 8 p.m.

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