The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times (Limelight)

If you have an interest in the history of Gospel, this is the book to have. It gives a detailed account of the history of Gospel and of the singers and groups who paved the way. He gives personal accounts of the singers and groups making you "know" them. I first checked this book out from the ship's library and read it in 1972, and was very impressed with it. Later a friend gave me a copy as a gift in 1973 which I still have. This is an updated copy to include the newer groups such as the Hawkins and others. It is very interesting and informative. It will take you into the lives of all the great Gospel singers and reveal their good and not so good characteristics.

Whether you love the music or know nothing about it, this is the best book ever written about the early road warriors who travelled the gospel highway. Mr. Heilbut infuses his deep knowledge of gospel singers with passion and love. That's what gives the book its unique flavor and ranks it far above any other work on the subject, scholastic or otherwise. A reviewer dismisses him as nothing more than a "fan", as if that's a bad thing. Let the "scholars" wallow in their dates and facts. This book is juicy and vibrant, as full of fire and life as the artists he depicts so well.

Finally a book that really lays out the beginnings of gospel - especially the great Dr. Thomas A. Dorsey.First class book.

Great book on the roots and history of black gospel music.

Excellent copy, delivered on time.

To the reader who stated that Heilbut gets "emotionally" carried away, or that his "fanatical religious beliefs" make him bias:NEWS FLASH: last I heard, Heilbut is an atheist.So how can he be religiously biased toward gospel music if he doesn't believe in the God they sing about? I'll tell you: because he is a music lover-he likes the sound, not the message.

Anthony Heilbut is an expert on the subject of gospel music, one of the most important musical forces in American history. His book is written from the perspective of a scholar, but one with a real passion for the music. There are passages in his book that almost as thrilling as the music itself.

This was one very informative book that gives the reader a genuine understanding of the origin of Gospel music. It reaches very deep into the life and times of the pioneers of Gospel. Each played their own part into evolving Gospel music to make it what it is today. Makes great reading.