ABSTRACT

Gospel and blues are focus topics of Chapter 9, in which the potential power of the visual image is explored. While it is true that women were sometimes exploited by marketers who used visual images to sell musical products, women often have used their fame to spread messages of cultural and spiritual importance. The chapter digs deeply into the artistic merits of gospel and blues, a focus sometimes forgotten amid the compelling stage presence of the performers. After discussing the social importance of the lyrics in these genres, representative works are musically examined in terms of form. The chapter also investigates the evolution of these genres into rhythm and blues and early rock and roll. Finally, the issue of “covering” and the exploitation of original rhythm and blues artists is discussed. Included in the chapter are Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Big Mama Thornton, Mahalia Jackson, Ruth Brown, Marion Williams, Clara Ward, and Sr. Rosetta Tharpe.