Viv Broughton - Too Close To Heaven: The Illustrated History Of Gospel Music

Tuesday 1st October 1996
Viv Broughton - Too Close To Heaven: The Illustrated History Of Gospel Music
Viv Broughton - Too Close To Heaven: The Illustrated History Of Gospel Music

STYLE: Music Related
RATING 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 17875-BOK421
LABEL:
FORMAT: Book General book

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Anyone who saw the breathtaking history of black gospel Too Close To Heaven on Channel 4 in August (I hope we get that superlative series on video soon) may already know that there is a handsome, large format paperback to tie in with the series. And essential reading it is too. Really an updated and revised version of Broughton's classic Black Gospel (1985) this is a fine piece of work skilfully bringing to light the history of African American Christian music from its tragic slavery days right on through to the contemporary outpourings of Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams et al. There is much which is riveting, the growth of the spirituals out of those Dr Watts hymns; the rise of songwriting superstar of the '30s Thomas Dorsey; the '50s Gospel Highway with all those seminal male quartets; Mahalia Jackson and the civil rights movement; the last four decades of music business efforts attempting to cash in on the black church's towering creativity. Viv brings real overview to a story populated with hundreds of major figures and as a starting off point in exploring the absorbing history of possibly THE most important musical stories of the 20th century it's unlikely there'll be a better book than this. One day some academics at the Mississippi State University or somewhere will do that long overdue revisionist history to demonstrate that blues and jazz began as much in the black church as anywhere else. But that's another story. Britain's Viv Broughton is to be congratulated for coming up with a vivid history of a music in a work that no American writer has come close to equalling.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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Reader Comments

Posted by Willie Ford in Stirlingshire @ 23:03 on Dec 15 2018

I have the book. The index has a reference to Washington Phillips but has missed out the page number. Is there a page number I can have?
thanks



Posted by Anne Maree in Australia @ 02:53 on Jun 10 2018

I just heard of this via watching ABC TV here & SONGS OF PRAISE

Topic today is African American Spirituals with songs sung by Adventist Vocal Ensemble, Tessera & Jehama South - set in Hackney England I believe.



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