Spirituals are folk songs developed by black slaves, who applied African musical traditions to Christian themes. Many spirituals follow a simple call-and-response, making them appropriate for singing both in church and while at work in the fields.
Traditional gospel, sometimes referred to as black gospel, was codified by the composer and singer Thomas A. Dorsey in the 1930s and generally features a large church choir, often fronted by one or more soloists. Traditional gospel has been the jumping-off point for a number of other styles.
An uneasy detente between the music of the Lord (gospel) and so-called music of the devil (blues), blues gospel emerged in the late 1930s, with artists such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Vera Hall and the Rev. Gary Davis adding blues styling to traditional gospel numbers.
Also known as Christian country or white gospel, country gospel is a cross of traditional spirituals with country and Appalachian folk music. Contemporary country gospel, however, has taken on a more sound closer that of modern pop. Examples of artists in the genre include the Carter Family and Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Soul gospel was a variation on black gospel pioneered in the 1950s by a number of church quartets, including the Soul Stirrers and the Pilgrim Travelers, as well as solo artists, including Aretha Franklin. While religious in subject matter, soul gospel was marked by its raw, often sexually charged display of emotion. A precursor to Southern soul, many soul gospel artists, such as Sam Cooke, one-time lead of the Soul Stirrers, crossed over into mainstream, secular success.
Celtic gospel music is a hybrid of traditional southern gospel music infused with Celtic influences. The songs are usually derived from the black gospel canon, but the arrangement is usually distinctly Celtic. Celtic gospel is particularly popular in Ireland.
Another hybrid form, reggae gospel is musically identical to reggae, with singers making use of the traditional off-beat accenting endemic to the genre, but the lyrics substitute Rastafarianism for Christianity. Reggae gospel is seldom found outside of Jamaica.
Contemporary gospel, pioneered in the 1980s by groups such as Bebe & CeCe Winans and Take 6, is a more polished version of traditional gospel, drawing influences from modern R & B, jazz, blues and even hip-hop. Most contemporary gospel is recording in a slick, radio-ready format and musically most resembles "urban" music of the kind performed by artists like Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton and Mary J. Blige.