Rejoice and Shout

Rejoice and Shout traces the evolution of Gospel through its many musical styles – the spirituals and early hymns, the four-part harmony-based quartets, the integration of blues and swing into Gospel, the emergence of Soul, and the blending of Rap and Hip Hop elements. Gospel music also walked in step with the story of African-American culture – slavery, hardscrabble rural existence and plantation work, the exodus to major cities, the Depression, World War II, civil rights and empowerment. Rejoice and Shout connects the history of African-American culture with Gospel as it first impacted popular culture at large. Years in the making, Rejoice and Shout captures so much of what is special about this music and African-American Christianity – the sermonizing, the heartfelt testimonials, getting slain in the spirit, the hard hollering, and of course the inspiring music. (Verleiher-Text)