Gospel

E. M. Bartlett (1883–1941)
aka: Eugene Monroe Bartlett Sr.
With the exception of his protégé, Albert E. Brumley, no other Ar...
Brockwell Gospel Music School
The Brockwell Gospel Music School offers instruction in choral and instrumental musical techniques for those w...
Albert Edward Brumley (1905–1977)
Albert Edward Brumley Sr. was one of the most successful American gospel song composers of the twentieth centu...
Denver Dale Crumpler (1912–1957)
When singer Denver Dale Crumpler became a member of Hovie Lister and the Statesmen Quartet of Atlanta, Georgia...
Dale Evans (1912–2001)
aka: Frances Octavia Smith
Dale Evans was an actress, author, and songwriter who was raised in...
Gladys McFadden and the Loving Sisters
Gladys McFadden and the Loving Sisters were an African-American gospel group based in Little Rock (Pulaski Cou...
Gospel Music
Musicologists and journalists have often provided conflicting definitions of the term “gospel music.” Earl...
Al Green (1946–)
Al Green is one of Arkansas’s best-known singers, with a career that has ranged from rhythm and blues (R&...
Hartford Music Company and Hartford Music Institute
The Hartford Music Company, located in Hartford (Sebastian County), was founded in 1918 by Eugene Monroe (E. M...
Jeffress/Phillips Music Company
The Jeffress/Phillips Music Company, located in Crossett (Ashley County), is one of the five remaining seven-s...
Celesta Fern Jones (1923–1996)
Celesta Fern Jones was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and musician. Compared by some music writers to ...
Willa Saunders Jones (1901–1979)
Willa Saunders Jones grew up in Little Rock (Pulaski County) during the first decades of the twentieth century...
Roberta Evelyn Martin (1907–1969)
aka: Roberta Evelyn Winston Martin Austin
Roberta Evelyn Winston Martin Austin was one of the most significan...
Melody Boys Quartet
The Melody Boys Quartet was a Southern gospel music group based in Little Rock (Pulaski County). The Melody Bo...
Smokie Norful (1975–)
aka: Willie Ray Norful Jr.
Smokie Norful—a popular pastor in Chicago, Illinois, and a Grammy...
Old Folks' Singing
What became known as Old Folks’ Singing started on May 17, 1885, with the dedication of a new Methodist chur...
Twila Paris (1958–)
aka: Twila Inez Paris Wright
Twila Inez Paris Wright is a prolific contemporary Christian singer...
Point of Grace
Point of Grace, which originated in Arkadelphia (Clark County) in 1990, is a female vocal trio—formerly a qu...
Luther G. Presley (1887–1974)
Luther G. Presley was a music teacher, song director, and prolific writer of gospel songs who has been credit...
Wayne Raney (1921–1993)
Wayne Raney was an American country singer and harmonica player best known for his hit song “Why Don’t You...
Shape-Note Singing
Shape-note singing is a choral tradition in which geometrical shapes and a corresponding syllable are assigned...
Sundown to Sunup Gospel Sing
aka: Albert E. Brumley Memorial Gospel Sing
The Sundown to Sunup Gospel Sing, an outdoor gospel music event, wa...
John Michael Talbot (1954–)
John Michael Talbot—the founder and leader of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at the Little Portion Herm...
"Sister Rosetta" Tharpe (1915–1973)
aka: Rosetta Nubin Tharpe
Arkansas native Rosetta Nubin Tharpe was one of gospel music’s fi...
J. Paul Williams (1937–2010)
J. Paul Williams made notable contributions to the field of church music. His catalog of published lyrics exce...