Affectionately known as "the World's Greatest Storyteller," Dorothy Norwood has used her soulful vocals and uplifting delivery to rise to the upper echelon of modern gospel music. Five of her albums have achieved gold status, while, she's garnered six Grammy nominations and three Stellar Award nominations.

Norwood has been singing... [+] Read More

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A popular gospel singer who often shouts her music in order for her messages to be received, Shirley Caesar performed with the Caravans in the '60s before pursuing a professional solo career in 1966. Born in North Carolina, Caesar is known as the First Lady of Gospel. At the age of 10 she began singing and performing for family and friends. She... [+] Read More

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Founded in 1930, the Spirit of Memphis Quartet are more a continual concept than a set band, changing membership over the years as musicians drop in and out of the lineup. In fact, it's not exactly a quartet; in the mid-1980s there were eight members, five of whom sang. The core of the group was usually lead Jethro Bledsoe, tenor Robert Reed,... [+] Read More

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The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi are among the greatest singing groups in popular music history. Their smashing harmonies and the leads of Archie Brownlee not only influenced numerous gospel ensembles, but such secular artists as Ray Charles. Their origins date back to the '30s, when Archie Brownlee (Brownley in some accounts), Joseph Ford,... [+] Read More

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One of the top gospel quartets of the postwar era, the Harmonizing Four was also a relative anomaly of the period; as their contemporaries raced to modernize their sound, rejecting the traditional jubilee style in favor of the intensity of the burgeoning "hard gospel" movement, the Four remained true to their roots, focusing instead on the... [+] Read More

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Contemporary gospel's preeminent group, the Mighty Clouds of Joy carried the torch for the traditional quartet vocal style throughout an era dominated by solo acts and choirs; pioneering a distinctively funky sound which over time gained grudging acceptance even among purists, they pushed spiritual music in new and unexpected directions, even... [+] Read More

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Although the Blind Boys of Alabama have been singing gospel music for more than five decades, it's only recently that the group has had the benefit of a major record company behind them. Led by founding member Clarence Fountain, the rest of the group currently consists of Eric McKinney, George Scott, Caleb Butler, Johnny Field, Jimmy Carter,... [+] Read More

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Acknowledged as a prime influence by no less than Little Richard, the Birmingham, Alabama-based Original Gospel Harmonettes was among the greatest and most successful female gospel groups of the 1950s; led by soloist Dorothy Love Coates, who also composed many of their best-known selections, their music transcended its spiritual foundations to... [+] Read More

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The Sensational Nightingales were assembled in the '40s. In 1957 they appeared on the Gospel Train tour with The Clara Ward Singers and five other big-name gospel acts. Members included Julius Cheeks (lead), Carl Coates (bass), JoJo Wallace (tenor), Howard Carroll (baritone), and Paul Gwens (tenor). Their noted hit was "See How They Done My... [+] Read More

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The Staples' story goes all the way back to Winona, MS, in 1915. It was then and there that patriarch Roebuck Staples entered the world. A contemporary and familiar of Charley Patton, Roebuck quickly became adept as a solo blues guitarist, entertaining at local dances and picnics. Gradually drawn to the church, by 1937 he was singing and playing... [+] Read More

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