Gospel
Gospel music although a subgenre of black music in the UK today also arrived in England in the early post-war years, along with the large-scale immigrant influx and their wide variety of musical tastes. Pioneers in this field include an eight-piece a cappella family group from Trinidad called the Singing Stewarts - Oscar Stewart, Ashmore Stewart, Frankie Stewart, Phylis Stewart, Gloria Stewart, Timothy Stewart, Thedore Stewart and Del Stewart - who were the first to appear on a major British record label in the late 1960s. They impressed many English audiences with their unique interpretation of Negro Spirituals and traditional Gospel songs. Based in the Midlands, Birmingham, they appeared on numerous radio shows and participated in the prestigious Edinburgh Festival, again increasing awareness of this genre.
Picture of the Singing Stewarts at Newbold College Singing Stewarts "Oh Happy Day"
In later years and decades when black people began to settle in the UK, groups such as The Doyleys, Paradise, Lavine Hudson and the Bazil Meade-inspired London Community Gospel Choir began to drive the music much further towards the mainstream and out of the comfort zone of the black churches.
The Singing Stewarts are featured in the book British Black Gospel: The Foundations of this vibrant UK sound by Steve Alexander Smith. Huddersfield-born Smith was inspired to write the book after spending time in the USA in the mid 1990's and witnessing the best that Black Gospel could offer.
The book is the worlds first to cover the underground British Black gospel scene and is published with a 13-track CD.
Read more about this topic: Caribbean Music In The United Kingdom
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