Conversing with Mark Labberton Gospel Music Genius, with Stephen Newby and Robert Darden
With a B3 organ, a prophetic imagination, and a heart broken wide open by grace, gospel music legend Andraé Crouch (1942–2015) left an indelible mark on modern Christian worship music. In this episode, Stephen Newby and Robert Darden offer a sweeping yet intimate exploration of his life, spiritual vision, and genre-defining genius.
Together with Mark Labberton, they discuss their new biography Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch. Through laughter, lament, and lyrical memory, Newby and Darden—both scholars at Baylor University and co-authors of the first serious biography of Crouch—share stories of discovering Crouch’s music, the theological and cultural forces that shaped it, and why his legacy matters now more than ever. They offer insights about modern musical history, spiritual reflections, and cultural analysis, inviting us into the soul of a man who helped bring modern gospel into being.
Episode Highlights
- “Musical genius is where observation, curiosity, imagination, and humility are baked in the oven.”
- “He was always tracking what was going on in the room and in his heart. He understood the cues, clues, and codes of what God was doing.”
- “Andraé felt it was important that the music was just as inspired as the lyrics. It was total praise.”
- “’Soon and Very Soon’ is an ancient future song—we have to keep singing it, especially now.”
- “Andraé burned out a lot of musicians—but all of them adore him to this day.”
Helpful Links and Resources
- Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch by Stephen Newby and Robert Darden (Penn State University Press)
- Black Gospel Music Preservation Project (Baylor University)
- “Jesus Is the Answer,” by Andraé Crouch
- “Through It All,” by Andraé Crouch
- “Soon and Very Soon,” **by Andraé Crouch
- People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music by Robert Darden
About Stephen Newby
Stephen Michael Newby is a composer, conductor, and scholar. He serves as the Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship at Baylor University and is a professor of music in the Baylor School of Music. A widely recognized expert on gospel, jazz, and black sacred music, he is also affiliated with the Black Gospel Music Preservation Project as an ambassador and collaborator. He is co-author of Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch.
About Robert Darden
Robert F. Darden is emeritus professor of journalism at Baylor University and founder of the Black Gospel Music Preservation Project. A former gospel music editor at Billboard magazine, Darden is the author of numerous books on gospel music history, including People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music and Nothing But Love in God’s Water. He is co-author of Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch.
Show Notes
- Andraé Crouch called the “father of contemporary modern gospel” for his groundbreaking influence on the genre
- Guest Stephen Newby holds the Lev H. Pritchard III Chair in Black Worship and Music at Baylor University
- Guest Robert Darden is emeritus professor of journalism at Baylor and founder of the Black Gospel Music Preservation Project
- Labberton celebrates the book’s narrative, musical, and sociocultural scope
- Crouch grew up in a Pentecostal context that encouraged musical exploration and spiritual improvisation
- Gospel rooted in KoGIC (Church of God in Christ) tradition, blending Beale Street sounds with evangelical fervour
- Darden describes Crouch’s early music as “jazz, pop... but wait, it is gospel—they’re singing about Jesus”
- Crouch and his sister Sandra composed “Jesus Is the Answer,” considered the first modern praise and worship song
- The book includes more than two hundred interviews from gospel musicians, friends, and collaborators
- Crouch read the room and followed the Spirit—every performance was improvisational, responsive, alive
- “Through It All” composed after the heartbreak of a failed relationship; the grief birthed one of his most lasting songs
- Gospel music as lament and praise: “We hear the pain, we hear the resolve, we hear the lament turning to praise”
- Crouch’s “Take Me Back” begins with Billy Preston on B3 organ—“He hasn’t forgotten the church,” says Newby
- Earth, Wind & Fire, Motown, and classical influences shaped Crouch’s orchestration and arrangements
- Darden: “He wanted the music to sound as good as the words. It was obsessive—but it was for God.”
- Andraé’s collaboration with producer/drummer Bill Maxwell led to a string of gospel albums with unmatched quality
- “We are going to see the King”: the timeless hope of “Soon and Very Soon” rooted in the black spiritual tradition
- Crouch’s music was not only groundbreaking—it was pastoral, prophetic, and profoundly personal
- Evangelistic to his dying breath, Crouch witnessed to hospital staff and janitors alike
- The book's subtitle “Transformative Music and Ministry” is more than academic—it’s biographical theology
- Newby and Darden’s friendship mirrors Crouch and Maxwell’s cross-cultural collaboration
- Soon and Very Soon offers readers a chance to read with phone in hand—listening and learning simultaneously
- “Jesus is the answer” remains a musical and theological call across generations
Production Credits
Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.