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: dc Talk | Ray Boltz | Rev. James Cleveland | Bob Carlisle | Morris Chapman | The Maranatha! Singers | Gaither Vocal Band | Melanie | Jim Brickman | Norman Greenbaum | Vanessa Bell Armstrong | Steven Curtis Chapman | Kirk Franklin | Andraé Crouch | NewsboysTraditional 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 Fairfield Four | Golden Gate Quartet | The Swan Silvertones | Gospel Hummingbirds | The Mighty Clouds of Joy | Mississippi Mass Choir | The Highway Q.C.'s | The Dixie Hummingbirds | The Harmonizing Four | The Soul Stirrers | The Original Gospel Harmonettes | The Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama | Mahalia Jackson | Pilgrim Travelers | Rev. James Cleveland