Gospel Vinyl Records – The Vinyl Room

Record alert · Gospel

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Gospel on vinyl: the Staple Singers, choirs and small church labels

In short: Gospel is the sacred music of African American churches – and a root of soul and rhythm & blues. Most of our gospel records come from the seventies and eighties, many from small labels or from congregations and choirs. You’ll currently find 162 gospel records here.

What is gospel?

For a long time vocal quartets such as the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Spirit of Memphis Quartet shaped gospel, alongside big choirs. In the sixties and seventies it moved closer to soul: the Staple Singers had hits, and the Edwin Hawkins Singers made “Oh Happy Day” (1969) famous worldwide. Many soul stars started out in church, such as Aretha Franklin and Sam Cooke.

What to look for

Some gospel records came out only in small runs – as a congregation’s private pressing or on tiny labels – and are barely documented. DJs today look specifically for records with a soul or funk touch.