Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) is pop music with inspirational and religious lyrics. Musically, much CCM is indistinguishable from mainstream pop/rock, featuring the same melodic and production techniques. CCM developed in the '70s and '80s, as gospel artists found a new, more contemporary way to market their music. Using electric guitars and synthesizers, the religious music industry created a viable new form of gospel music that sounded like pop music -- with their slick, professional... [+] Read More
Key Artists: Newsboys | Norman Greenbaum | Jim Brickman | Rev. James Cleveland | Steven Curtis Chapman | Kirk Franklin | Vanessa Bell Armstrong | dc Talk | The Maranatha! Singers | Morris Chapman | Andraé Crouch | Melanie | Ray Boltz | Bob Carlisle | Gaither Vocal BandTraditional Gospel is gospel music that is essentially Southern in origin and performed by large, soulful choirs. Traditional gospel also relies on gospel standards instead of newly written material.
Key Artists: The Original Gospel Harmonettes | The Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama | Golden Gate Quartet | Mississippi Mass Choir | Mahalia Jackson | The Dixie Hummingbirds | Gospel Hummingbirds | The Mighty Clouds of Joy | Rev. James Cleveland | Pilgrim Travelers | The Highway Q.C.'s | The Swan Silvertones | The Soul Stirrers | The Fairfield Four | The Harmonizing Four