Show The sounds of gospel music will soar Sunday across the USA But gospel is soaring all year round as more of us tune in or listen to singers who grew from its roots By Edna Gundsrsen This weekend pop star Deniece Williams 35 makes a return engagement to the place that launched her career It won’t be a grand concert hall no tickets will be sold no spotlights will line a stage ‘Til be in church Easter morning singing my heart out with everyone else” says Williams who won two gospel Grammy awards in February and has a new album out now A member' of pop’s stellar congregation she also belongs to the Calvary Community Church in Thousand Oaks Calif “I was raised in the church choir That’s where I learned pitch and harmony and everything I know about singing” best known for says Williams her 1984 Footloose smash Hear It for the Boy Indeed scores of popular Let’s sing- ers from country’s Oak Ridge Boys to opera’s Simon Estes to Houston cut pop’s Whitney their teeth on hymns and spirituals A lot of contemporary pop grew however circuitously from the black gospel church where impassioned voices soar against the feverish locomotion of piano keys and clapping hands Not only is gospel influential its popularity is swelling “When record sales were soft and stale gospel kept plodding along” says Don Butler executive director of the Gospel Music Association “Now it’s the segment of the music industry” When Sallie gospel artists Pop: T always gospel music" says Deniece WSans “and my fans were not to see me surprised doo come out vritb a gospel atm They said y! She’s been taiing about that for years’ Kids need to see some- one with convictions” Cover and photo at left by Blake Uttte 4 USA Weekend ‘April By Erica Lansner Martin sang in ' Jackson and Mahalia storefront churches four decades ago they inspired a in reverberates that nearly frenzy every form of musical expression today: the raw energy of rock the bared passion of blues the plaintive pleas of country undercureven the trembling rents of techno-poWarwick and Patti Dionne LaBelle rose from gospel ranks Gospel groups produced a host of soul crooners among them Sam Cooke (Soul Stirrers) Lou Rawls (Pilgrim Travelers) and Wilson Pickett (Violinaires) The queen of soul herself) Aretha Franklin grew up idolizing gospel diva Clara Ward and began recording hymns at the age of 14 The Mississippi preacher’s daughter once said of her church apprenticeship “My heart is still there in gospel music It never left” Rockathons historically close with Amazing Grace Superstars Lionel Richie and Paul Simon have recorded gospel standards A1 Green and Philip Bailey two names built on R&B charts won Grammys this year for gospel projects Yet until recently good tidings were bad news in the record business and singers left many purists in the dust A 1977 Warner tions record placed gospel in the catcuall category of “all others” which also embraced the spoken comedy word and similarly obscure subheads The whole category got 3 record sales of percent Gospel rose steadily bestowing recognition on such luminaries as Petra Andrae Crouch James Cleveland and Amy Grant the first contemporary Christian artist to break pop’s Top 40 With her leopard-prijackets and sultry pop cooing Grant shattered gospel stereotypes: “People think of gospel music and they think of four fat guys in suits white shoes and polka-dties” she told Interview magazine By 1980 gospel had emerged as a single category with a 5 percent share of record sales In 1986 gospel muscled ahead of jazz and classical with 75 percent a $300 million piece of a $42 billion industry “We’re on a roll” says Butler of the Gospel Music Association “It’s also is the biggest Gospel climber in radio programming showing a 63 percent leap between 1984 and 1986 More than 000 radio stations include gospel music in their formats 1987 m miiw iujump mm iji iffwnwju m wi u Photoreporters Communica- industr' study Classical’ Sinoa Estes at bone NitJi Jenifer 4 daughters Lynn 2 left and be performs clasOnstage sic opera In church Estes loves singing “Ho Great Tbou Art” “The Lord’s Prayer” “Nobody “A City Called Heaven” and Knows the Trodsie I’ve Seen” The number of gospel artists from rock the USA Idle Cure to inspirational never has singer Steve Green been greater And MTV notorious for feaside of Top turing the raunchier 40 has showcased such gospel acts as rock band Rez new wave duet singer Steve Taylor & Key and most recently the heavy metal outfit Stryper currently on tour Cuts from the group’s gold LP To Hell With the Devil continue to creep into rock radio touring band playlists “The reception is getting better" says the God squad’s drummer Robert Sweet “Most rock ’n’ roll puts God in the back seat We’re here to change that We’re in a position to reach kids who don’t go to church or watch TV evangelists or read the Bible “Die Easter bunny’s cool but I see Easter as something much more meaningful” Sweet says “It’s the day Christ rose from the |