The purpose of this project is to identify, acquire, preserve, record and catalogue the most at-risk music from the black gospel music tradition. This will primarily include 78s, 45s, LPs, and the various tape formats issued in the United States and abroad between the 1940s and the 1980s. Additionally, any ephemera that may be of use to scholars – including PR photos and press packets, taped interviews, informal photographs, tour books and programs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and sheet music – will also be acquired as it becomes available. The ultimate goal is to have a copy of every song released by every black gospel artist or group during that time period.
Professor Robert F. Darden and the Baylor University Libraries received a two-year grant of $347,175. The grant provided funding for Phase II, which is still ongoing, of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project. Phase II will establish a music digitization, storage, and access system designed to acquire and/or assemble, catalog, and make publicly accessible the unique recordings of the "Golden Age of Gospel Music" (1940s - 1960s) and the early part of the "Modern Gospel Era" (1970s - 1980s). The ultimate goal is to preserve and store a digital copy of the audio long term, and to provide standards-based discovery tools through an online interface into a full catalog of materials, along with 30-second samples of all tracks from the audio archive.
Baylor University Access | Public access
QuickTime is required to listen to the streaming audio.
Download the free plug-in here: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
History and Impact
The rich and soulful sounds from the “Golden Age of Gospel” are distinctly African American. They are the voices of men and women who loved to sing and raise their voices in praise. Black gospel groups moved from town-to-town to raise money to live daily, and then moved on to the next church. Along their journey, they found time to record their unique renditions and compositions. This fertile musical time period in American history is a cultural snapshot revealing the depth of a people, their community, and the influence they have had on the rest of American music. These recordings—containing valuable history and culture—are rapidly disappearing and must be preserved. This project is an ideal fit with Baylor and complements the university’s Baptist heritage. Once completed, this digital audio archive will draw numerous researchers to Baylor University to listen to and research the “Golden Age of Gospel Music Archive.” This archive will elevate the holdings of the already strong Crouch Fine Arts Library. Most importantly, this beautifully sweet, vibrantly alive music will be preserved so all can enjoy, love, and learn from.
Photos of Sound Isolation Booth
Photos of the installation of the Wenger sound isolation booth. The booth contains the equipment needed to digitize the materials in this collection.
Live Data
Updated information on the status of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, including the status of individual items in the collection.
Loaning or Donating Materials
Information on how you can loan or donate materials to the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project.
Contact Information
Interest form
Have questions? Do you have materials that might fit in the collection? Would you like to support the project? Use the BGMRP Interest form to get in contact with the project staff.
Project Weblog
Watch our Blog for project updates and feel free to leave us a comment!
Mailing Address:
Black Gospel Music Restoration Project
ATTN: Denyse Rodgers
Baylor University Libraries
1312 S 3rd Street
Waco, TX 76706
Email: librarywebmaster@baylor.edu