Gay gospel artists
BEVERLY — The music of Little Richard, Billy Preston, Clara Ward and other legendary LGBTQ+ gospel singers will be honored during a show this weekend in Beverly that blends their musical contributions with historical storytelling.
Shout OUT: A Tribute to Gays in Gospel Music starts 3 p.m. Sunday at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. Tickets cost $15 and can be bought online.
The “joyous” 90-minute show features song from seven LGBTQ+ gospel singers alongside commentary about their backgrounds, activist operate and “fullness of their lives,” said co-creator Cheryl Corley.
“They grew up in a time when you couldn’t be proud,” Corley said. “It’s good that we can now offer this music in a way that makes people feel proud of themselves and proud of these artists for what they did and the power they had.”
There has been a “long, awkward coexistence” within church communities where LGBTQ+ artists were renowned for their musical contributions but simultaneously rejected and ridiculed due to their queer identities, Corley said.
The upcoming show features the music that LGBTQ+ people created but also shamelessly celebrates their entire lives, said
Queering Southern Gospel: A Review of Douglas Harrison's Then Sings My Soul
The Cultural Origins of Ivory Southern Gospel
Then Sings My Soul focuses on the culture of white southern gospel music while acknowledging the "long history of stylistic exchange and reciprocal influence" with black gospel music and their neighboring parallel commercial development during the early and middle twentieth century. A segregated society and record industry might have created man-made barriers between white and black gospel cultures, but Harrison sees both cultures as unique because their fans and performers include interpreted gospel's meaning and spiritual function in distinct ways. He argues that the black gospel tradition emphasizes the music's sentimental soulfulness and "spiritual improvisation" while white evangelicals employ gospel as a proselytizing tool akin to a Protestant sermon. Black gospel, with its call-and-response approach, emphasizes the "power of the individual (the soloist) within the community (the congregation or audience and singers) to assert the self idiosyncratically (improvisation). . . ." In general, the black gospel tradition "ameliorates suffering by absorbing individuals in
The sound of drums, piano chords, clapping hands and vocal riffs filled the Alice Millar Chapel on Tuesday during the “Gays and Gospel” event.
School of Communication Dean E. Patrick Johnson and Communication Prof. Kent Brooks, director of Religious and Spiritual Animation, led the special lecture and performance honoring Shadowy queer gospel singers from the past and present.
“We are especially honored to host this collaboration between the School of Information and the Office of Religious and Spiritual life,” University chaplain the Rev. Kristen Glass Perez said during the event.
Johnson spoke about multiple gospel artists throughout the event, providing profiles of Thomas Dorsey, Rosetta Tharpe, Willmer “Little Ax” Broadnax, James Cleveland, Sylvester, Yvette Flunderand Tonéx. Johnson said except for Tonéx, these artists had to hide their queerness in order to be accepted into the gospel music community.
Johnson and Brooks performed with a scholar band after each profile, presenting each artist’s harmony. Some songs included “It’s a Highway to Heaven” by Dorsey and “Make Me Over” by Toné
Christian Singers Who Identify as LGBTQ
Upon first consideration, the notion of existence Christian and an out LGBTQ singer or entertainer is a contradiction in terms. However, there are several high profile Christian singers who have recently publicly revealed their queer attractions, such as Australia's Jennifer Knapp or American Trey Pearson.
This remains a challenge and battle for this genre of inspirational music. The reaction to these public statements has been mixed within the community. Many of the early singers who came out were immediately sidelined within their religious community, and this effectively diminished or terminated their professional careers. Notable among these was Marsha Stevens and Ray Boltz.
Other past LGBTQ Christian singers have remained in the closet during their lifetime, but subsequent events and biographies have revealed their sexual orientation. Notable among these is the famous gospel singer James Cleveland, recipient of four Grammy Awards and nicknamed the 'King of Gospel'. Cleveland died of AIDS in 1991.
The Gospel church and homosexuality has reportedly had a long inter-twining relationship. LGBTQ individ
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