Field 11 of the Grammy Awards is devoted to the category "gospel." The term is a bit of a misnomer today. It's about time the awards show thought about renaming the category.The term "gospel music" implies to today's listeners music in the tradition of Southern gospel. However, the awards show lists all Christian music under this category, which is misleading since it includes not only traditional gospel music but also Christian rock and rap. Unfortunately, this devalues the rich musical and cultural heritage of gospel music.
It also undermines the complexity and diversity of Christian music. There are 7 categories in Field 4: Rock and 5 categories in Field 7: Rap. However, in field 11: Gospel, one category combines the two as "Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album."
It is no wonder that Christians sometimes have to come up with awards shows of their own, such as the Dove Awards.
[Image: The Blind Boys of Alabama won Best Traditional Gospel Album]
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1 comment:
the winners are really great gospel singers. it would be great to have Christian artists in the mix for rock, rap, etc. because we should be leading in our artistry, not focused on labels, imo.
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