The black experience is rooted within a rich and complex relationship to music as a staple of cultural identity.

Music has for centuries been a source of resistance.

Celebration and perseverance for African Americans.

From the slave plantations of the South to the churches and concert halls of the North.

The American experience of what is considered to be Americana music owes a large recognition to the.

Roots.

Of slave testimonials.

It is through this powerful understanding of honoring that one accesses the depth and breadth of what black gospel music has given us all a way to remember and persevere.

Can help break it down like In Jesus.

Jesus.

In Jesus.

Jesus.

In Jesus.

Jesus.

In Jesus.

Jesus.

In Jesus.

In Jesus.

Have you ever.

been walking around, broke with your money in your pocket.

You didn't know.

How do you pay your bills?

How do you pay your kids?

How do you pay your rent?

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.

In Jesus.

In Jesus.

Oh in Jesus.

In Jesus.

Oh In Jesus Yeah, Yeah.

But come on.

Come on.

And right now, Im going to tell the world He made me glad.

I just would like to emphasize the fact that when we think about gospel we want to make sure that we incorporate the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And so the music that we sing in our gospel songs is really music that is either straight from scripture, which sometimes we call those hymns and or they're from experiences that one of us had through their relationship with Jesus.

And so the reason why we sing is really because of the relationship, the convictions that we have, which are centered on our relationship in Jesus.

I'm Ryan Sadler, board chair and CEO of the Friends of MLK, and I'm a native of Waterloo, Iowa, but I've been here in the Quad Cities for over 32 years.

I had the pleasure of serving as one of the committee members of the Quad City Gospel Celebration.

We got together from a documentary presentation that we had done a few years back with Terry Wilson with WQPT and he gave me a call and someone Lance from the Adler and we essentially got a team together and began to dream up this concept of how do we look at and honor the music, the gospel music that's rich in this area.

The history of gospel music is important to understand as all history is, because gospel music really formed out of the spirituals, the hymns and the traditions of the African people, but also when communicating with one another.

And really that that sense of hope and perseverance and some of the spirituals were actually messages of freedom and a freedom while still on this side of heaven, but also a freedom in the afterlife of being a Christian, being one who believes in Jesus Christ.

And so the importance of gospel music is really telling the stories of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through song.

Hallelujah God, we give you glory.

We give you the honor.

We give you the praise.

For your deserving of it.

We're coming to celebrate gospel, but the gospel honors and celebrates you.

So, Father, we celebrate you tonight.

Can you celebrate the father with me, Can you celebrate the father with me.

Hallelujah.

We honor you tonight, God.

We honor you tonight, God.

We honor you, Father.

And we call you holy.

We say that you are great.

Anybody know him to be great?

Anybody know him to be holy?

Anybody know him to be wonderful?

Anybody know him.

To be beautiful?

Let's let that rest in our hearts and lift that up with our mouths tonight.

Hallelujah we want to see you tonight God Hallelujah We want to see you tonight Open the eyes of my heart.

Open the eyes of my heart.

I want to see you.

I want to see you.

Open the eyes of my heart, lord.

open the eyes of my heart.

I want to see you Can we say that?

Open the eyes.

Open the eyes of my heart.

Open the eyes of my heart I want to see you.

I want to see you.

Open the eyes of my heart I want to see you I want to see you see you high and lift it up shining in the light of your glory Pour out your power in love as we sing holy, holy, holy.

We want to see you High and lift it up Shine a light on your glory Pour out your power in love As we sing Holy, holy, holy Open the eyes Open the eyes of my heart I want to see you I want to see you.

Open the eyes.

of my heart, open the eyes of my heart Open the eyes of my heart And I want to see you.

I want to see you to see you high and lift it up Shine in the light of your glory Pour out your power in love As we see We want to see you Shine in the light of your glory Pour out your power in love I want to hear y'all sing that we want to see you shining and lift it up Pour out your power in love as we sing We want to see you yes, shining in the light.

Pour out your power in love as we sing Youre worthy, youre worthy, we love you Jesus Yes, sir.

I think I personally think that there is still a segregated community when it comes to gospel music.

You have choirs that only do choir music and only support it.

You have quartet that just support that.

And so we're hoping and praying in this concert that you guys are putting on.

We're going to have a vast variety of many people coming in and would bring people together so that it would be more support in the community and people coming together, The coming together of different musics all in one house may just start at the end, but then it can go out into our all the community and all the churches here.

So if I would say it was one wish of one prayer that I had, that would be what it is, that it would unite the segregated states that the gospel music is in right now and that more people would join the and to support each genre of gospel.

My experience in the Quad Cities with gospel music when I was younger, coming up in the church, especially, there were there were a lot of groups going on.

There were, of course, church choirs, and it was very heavy.

It was very important to people to have of the music going on, that music going on like that.

Times have changed a little bit now, and I really believe I really didn't see the huge difference until COVID happened.

After COVID happened, a lot of churches lost their church choir.

They don't have a music department functioning like it normally would function.

There's a lot isn't just praise and worship teams, and sometimes we don't we don't have the full structure of music as a whole going forth now as we did when I was coming up.

And if I would say anything, I believe that's what the community and the people in general.

If we could focus on giving that structure back because it's very important to have that force structure of of gospel music function and especially in our Quad Cities community Yeah, we really had some of the best talent in the Quad Cities.

The gospel celebration here starting off with Ashley Dean kicking this off with the praise and worship service.

She's she sang backup with Stevie Wonder.

She's so she's travel and she's very accomplished in her music.

The Gospel Soul revivals is a is a quartet group, which is a type of of gospel music group.

And what's unique about them is they write their own music.

And and so listening to their songs, their songs that you may get a feel that you understand and can fill them.

But if if you're not familiar with their songs, you just have to sit back and listen to them until you buy their CD and get their songs for yourself.

And I know that Jerry Johnson put together a Quad City gospel choir, and they've been singing for a few years, and I know that they have a few things that they'll be doing coming up as well.

But that's a a kind of a collage or a group of members in that choir from various congregations throughout the Quad Cities.

And of course, I can't not name my church Gospel Mission Temple inspirational choir and being able to to talk through the history of of really the Pentecostal movement here in America which really swept the world beginning what this was a street experience in 1906.

And so that was a it's a fun one.

But the songs that we sang in that group were all songs that we sing in our church at various times, whether we're opening a Sunday school or and hymns, spiritual songs that we sing.

And we were also able to debut a few of the songs that our pastor has support and has written himself.

Pastor Dwayne Hodges.

So tell me a little bit about your pastor, Dwayne.

Just tell me, what are you.

Pastor So we pastor here in Davenport, right down in the West End, all my Davenport people make some noise.

All right, All right.

So, you know, you heard the question I asked Brother Brean and we asked each other here on before we started the program.

So tell me a bit about so you preached on Sunday.

Tell us what you preached about.

Give us a little bit.

Don't give us the sermon, okay?

Just give us a little bit of God's said, you No, so we we talked about this year being a year of examination.

So if you think about your life, you think about the things that you have endured in the past.

This year has to be that year that you have to start to change some things, because so many of us, we go through so much each and every day and we don't realize that God's just waiting, God's waiting for you to just come home, come to come to me.

these are who are heavy laden.

Yeah.

And I will give you rest, all right?

And we've been talking about that and we've been talking about that all month.

We we sinking it in right now.

All right.

Thank you for that sermonette.

We got one, y'all.

We got.

So you've been singing for a while.

Tell me, what has the.

Impact of gospel music meant for Pastor Dwayne Hodges in your life?

I will tell you, it's been transformational for me because I wasn't always this person that was in church.

I wasn't always this person that was praising God through every circumstance.

I had to go through a life changing situation that made me realize the need for God in my life.

And then I started, and the first thing that started happening and people started asking me to sing and I was like, I don't really know.

I only know like Jodeci and all that type of stuff.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We getting on that tonight.

We did none of that tonight at all.

Sorry.

But when I started singing and I started feeling the presence of God on me, when I started to sing, I my sister had said something to me.

She said, You have a glow on you.

Wow.

And it, it changed everything about the way that I conveyed music, the way that I listen to music, the way that I put this music out there.

Gospel music is life changing.

I don't care.

I don't know who in this place needs it tonight, but you about to hear some stuff tonight that's just going to change.

It's going to blow your mind, but it's going to change your life.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate that.

Now I give you all to the stage.

Pastor Dwayne Hodges.

Let's give them a big hand as they come.

Come on, everybody.

Clap your hands.

somebody came in here to praise the Lord Anybody here to praise The Lord tonight Clap clap clap your hands Pop, pop, pop your hands Come on.

I dont know what you came here for.

I don't know what you came here for.

I don't know what you came here for.

I don't know what you came here for.

I don't know what you came here for.

But I came to pray.

help me praise him Come on, y'all.

Let's go.

Let's go Anybody here that loves the Lord Anybody here to bless his name?

I dont know what you came here for, but I came to pray so help me.

Anybody here that loves the Lord Anybody here to bless his name?

I don't know what you came here for.

but I came to pray so help me praise him You thought I was worth saving till you came and changed my life.

You thought I was worth keeping.

So you cleaned me up inside You thought I was to die for You sacrificed your life so I can be free.

So I can be whole.

So I could tell everyone I know that I was worth saving till you came.

You came and changed my life you clean me up.

You keep me off this sight You thought I was die for so you sacrifice.

Sacrifice your life I can be free.

So I can be all.

So I can tell everyone You thought I that I was worth saving Come on.

Somebody must know it now.

You came and changed my life.

You thought I was worth keeping.

So you clean me up inside You thought I was To my church.

I mean, that's the way, you know.

You start to get the spirit, you know, you start singing them song, you say a prayer, and that that opens it up for the preacher word, you know.

But it always starts with the good singing, you know?

And then the spirit moves in.

And of course, you got to teach in and you're preaching.

But the song is what gets you to feeling good before you start preaching.

But to serve where you are.

Amen that's another thing.

I was complimenting Terry on being A people person.

We are here.

Our purpose is about our purpose and about people.

So tomorrow we have a church meeting.

We're here.

Our temporary security and our determined security.

God has come.

We made it through the pandemic with not One person We did not lose one parishioner to COVID-19.

Did I not tell you he has us covered?

It is such an awesome experience when one is awakened in the night and a soft and audible voice put a song in our hearts.

The first song that was given to me in the form of a hymn was given to me as I was walking one morning, and I just heard the word so sweetly in my ears saying, Jesus is my Savior, Jesus is my Lord Jesus is my brother, He is my best friend.

And supernaturally, I would say as the words were ringing in my ear, the lyrics, Jesus is my savior, Jesus is my Lord, Jesus is my brother.

He is my best friend.

That gives me much encouragement when I hear the ensemble and the choir singing these songs that the Lord laid upon my heart Cmon yall can clap yalls hands now Here we go.

Oh, my brother.

Oh, my sister You can make it if you just hold on.

Oh, my brother.

Oh, my sister You can make it if you just hold on.

Oh, my brother.

Oh, my sister You can make it if you just hold on.

My name is Minister Jerry Johnson Senior.

I am a member of the Olivet Missionary Baptist Church.

Today.

What you guys have seen is my personal choir minister, Jerry Johnson, and the voices of the QC.

We've been together now for about about six months or so.

We started with the Juneteenth celebration and we just kept going from there.

I have tremendously a lot of people from different churches, different religions.

I just want to break the barrier of what gospel music really is.

And as is all of us coming together as a community, singing praises to our God for one one true king Because he's never left us or or forsake us.

So I just truly believe that this community choir has been been great.

We started off with about maybe about 20, 20, 25 people, and now we're roughly about over 50 Gospel music is very important, I would say, and not just to the black community but to all communities, because of the fact I mean, that's where our roots come from.

We sing gospel music.

My mother was a gospel music singer.

My grandmother, she was a little she tried to sing, sing a little gospel.

But when I got my chance, when I was 11 years old, I never turned back.

Gospel music has changed my whole entire life.

In my mind, my down as point and my lowest values is gospel music.

They brought me back.

You never believe this, but I actually wanted to quit a couple of years back during the pandemic.

The pandemic really, really, really killed a lot of things, killed my spirit as far as, you know, not be able to go to church and stuff like that.

I mean I mean, you can only do so much YouTube and all online services and I know everybody wants to go to church to hear a good word, but everybody want to go to church to hear some good music, too.

So at the same time, you got good music in your church.

I mean, you're gonna keep the pews packed.

You got to have more people come to that all for music.

And that's just how it is.

You know, if you want to hear some good music, you come to 1115, 21st Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois, Olivet missionary Baptist Church.

You know exactly where to come.

Gospel music really brought me back to the place where I am today, and I just want to be here to say that without gospel music there is no music.

And yes, I see some of yall back there and I say you might as well keep standing yall been standing and sitting all night long.

yall might as well get on up and just give God some glory tonight.

Aint that what y'all came out to do?

Come on, y'all I didnt come out here in this.

ice just to sit there.

Come on yall Hold on tonight Oh, my brother.

Oh, my sister.

You can make it if you just hold on.

Oh, my brother.

Oh, my sister.

You can make it if you just hold on.

Devil tried to steal your joy, hold on Enemy tried to take your piece of mind grab all your faith and hold on God will bring you out, yeah.

Oh, my brother Oh, my sister.

You can make it.

oh oh oh and my sisters you can make it Yeah.

Devil try to steal your joy.

Hold on.

Enemy tried to take your piece of mind Grab all to your faith and hold on and God will bring you back oh my brothers and my sisters You can make it Oh my brothers and my sisters You can make it Hold on Be strong In one Hold on Be strong it wont last long you gotta hold on you gotta hold on you cant give up you cant give up you gotta hold on you cant let go you gotta keep on moving you gotta keep on trusting You gotta hold on You gotta hold on gotta hold on joy is coming trust this Lord with all your heart Hold on I really don't have the history down of gospel music in particular.

It's history in the in the Quad Cities.

We do know that black churches began to form in the 1850s, 1860s here in Davenport.

And we also know that with black churches, the tradition in history has been music and so we believe, of course, and would would understand that music in and of itself has been a part of the black church, a part of the expression in the black church, along with the priest word.

There was in fact, one gentleman by the name of Milton Howard, who was as a young boy, a young child was born in Muscatine, Iowa.

He was stolen.

He and his family were stolen and enslaved.

He eventually escapes slavery, joins the union, the Army Union Army and fights for the Union Army and and comes back to Davenport to reside.

Milton Howard was known as Deacon Howard here, as he would preach in two of the the established black churches, which I believe would have been Third Baptist in Bethel A.M.E., right at it during Reconstruction here in Davenport.

So he would be one of our icons when it comes to someone who was born free, stolen into slavery and was not bitter.

But he's still preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Im Marvin Morgan And the group is the Gospel Soul Revival.

Yes, our ensemble came to be my dad and his friends started a group years and years ago, and that's how it started.

And most of all, the members have passed away.

But we have tried.

We've been keeping the group going all these years.

But he started with some a friend years ago.

Ah, gospel music is important.

You know, we get to express how we feel.

You know, we believe that God is real, Jesus is real, and this is a way to praise him for all the things he does for us.

This is a way to praise them in song, you know, and let people know that he lives in us.

So song is a way we can express how we feel.

Put your hands together like this.

Yeah.

Come on, Put them up.

There you go.

Come on.

Here.

Listen here.

I don't.

You know, that hes.

Standing in the need of prayer Don't you know standing in the need of prayer My father and mother.

Now, now.

But its me, standing in the need of prayer Not my brother, not my sister.

Listen here.

Need of prayer And you know sometimes I go through my trials and tribulations and it seems like they just won't be there.

I go to my closet.

To my closet, and I fall to my knees and pray I know that my god He really gets me Anybody out there It got to my standing.

Not my mother, not my father Come on here.

All the good people like you said, you need them now.

Listen to me.

yes, not the preacher nor the deacon But, its me not the choir, not the usher you know.

Dont you know standing in the need of prayer Not my mother, not my father, dont you know standing in the need of prayer Dont you know.

Standing In the need, hey!

Every day of my life my life, every day and know.

But every day in my life I got to talk to Jesus Talk to him every day of my life.

I tell him all about my struggle Yeah, I know, I know.

I know he cares.

Anybody ever talk to Jesus Anybody.

Ever talk to Jesus Whatever whatever the problem.

Yeah.

You can talk to Jesus Anybody talk to Jesus I know he cares every day, in my life Don't you know standing you know.

yeah, somebody, anybody and dont you know standing in the need of prayer.

I think gospel music is so important just to people in general, because it brings us hope.

It brings us sometimes you're going to be having a troubled day.

And when you listen to a gospel song, it can even give your peace through.

No matter what you're going through.

It'll always bring some kind of a what I call change of situation type of atmosphere to your life.

I think we don't gospel music doesn't doesn't have the the the light on it that it should in today's society and to today's youth.

I believe that when we were coming up, it was it was more in force.

It was more out there.

And I believe that's just something that we as a people need to work hard on and bring that music back to the forefront and so that our youth will know the history of gospel music and not only appreciate today's music, but appreciate the music that was going on before today.

My name is Pastor Sam Kyles and the name of the group is Vision.

Come on, if you want to bounce a little bit you can bounce You know lord, whether You know.

Whether you know, lord whether Im right or wrong Lord, search my heart Weather got me praying Lord, search my heart You know lord, whether Im right or wrong.

Weather got me praying, lord search my heart Lord, search my heart Weather got me praying, lord search my heart You know Lord.

Whether Im right or wrong I am gonna need to God to search this.

Search me, search me lord.

Search me, search me lord.

Search me, search me lord.

Search my heart, search my mind search my spirit.

I need you to search me.

Search me, Lord.

Search me, Lord.

Search me, Lord.

Search me, Lord.

Search my heart.

Search my spirit.

I need you to search me.

I need you to search me, Lord.

Search me, search me, Lord.

I think the Quad City Gospel Celebration was important for us to do and to do now, because we are we're still reveling off of the pandemic.

And I know that there are some congregations, some individuals who are maybe not even going to church physically, but I believe they were here for this concert and it was a chance for us to fellowship one with another and just to really take in the message again, the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ through music, through song.

There you go.

Hi, my name is Daryl Dobson, and the director of the Olivet Baptist Church Male Choir or Male Chorus.

With gospel music normally you get it when you go to church, so you hear it in whatever church congregation you're in.

But here in the Quad Cities, we have different groups that put on different concerts.

And when they put on those concerts, people from all genres, all walks of life come to those concert and get a chance to hear the word of God.

Through that.

My personal experience with it is I was out in the street still and the guys here asked me because I was coming to church every day, but I was still out in the world as well.

They asked me to join the male chorus to start singing with them and them being around and man of God and being around people that hold you accountable helped transform me from the streets back into the church and closer to God.

Woah.

Well, well.

Woah.

yeah.

Yeah.

Oh.

Oh yeah.

Listen, when I rose.

Early this morning, I had another blessing Well well when I rose Early this morning.

I had another blessing.

When I rose, early this morning.

I had another blessing.

Who-wee yall When I rose.

Early this morning, I had another blessing Listen to this right here.

Clothes on my back Shoes on my feet Food on the table He has really been good to me.

When I look around See all the things he has done.

I know that I got my blessing and my victory is won.

When I woke up this morning, yall I had another blessing When I rose When I woke up this morning I had another blessing Listen to this right here I got up and begin to look around Let me tell you of the joy that I found Went into each room to check on my family Oh, it is so amazing.

It was amazing to me.

When I rose when I woke up this morning.

I had another blessing When I rose early this morning.

I had another blessing Help me sing it yall One more time.

I had another blessing.

I had another blessing.

I had another blessing.

I had another blessing.

He keeps on blessing me.

Everyday.

I had another blessing.

I had another blessing.

Tell you what he done.

He put clothes on my back.

Shoes on my feet.

Food on the table.

Hes really been good to me.

He put clothes on my back.

Shoes on my feet.

Food on the table.

Hes been good to me.

Clothes on my back.

Shoes on my feet.

Food on my table.

Bishop Jimmie Horton is.

Is my pastor.

He's, you know, he came here 50 some years ago as a schoolteacher to teach in Davenport schools and from his testimony and that is his family and colleagues is that he's he accepted Christ in early age at age ten.

And so he's been quite the inspiration to me, as well as many others throughout this area.

He's a spiritual leader.

He believes in what he preaches.

And our tribute to holiness was really something that is that is preached through our church and lived.

And he's an example of what true holiness is.

And so he's a he's a mentor.

He's truly a bishop to too many, not only in in this area, but across this country.

I'm Bishop Jimmie Horton and I am the founding pastor of the Gospel Mission, Temple Davenport, Iowa.

Gospel music is not only American music, but now it has gone worldwide.

It started in the black community, beginning with the old Negro spirituals, and during the early thirties and forties, there was a gentleman by the name of Thomas Dorsey who went down in fame of the American church Music The precious Lord, Take my hand.

He was the after of that song, and he began to travel the nation with a team that spread it.

This great move of a more pronounced gospel that had somewhat of a tone that some call jazz.

But more than jazz or blues.

It began during the time of Negro slavery.

[singing choir] I will make the darkness light, before thee.

Well, I'll make it right before thee All thy battle.

I will fight.

Before thee.

I will make.

The time to light.

Bring down.

[choir singing] “Jesus is His Name ” recorded by Ricky Dillard He is mightier than the mountain He is wider than the river.

He is deeper than the ocean.

Jesus is his name.

He is strength when there is weakness.

He is joy when there is sorrow.

He is food to feed the hungry, Jesus is His name.

Jesus, Jesus is His name, Every, every day the same Yesterday and forevermore.

Yesterday and forevermore.

Jesus is His name.

In its 40th year gospel mission temple led by the illustrious pastor, Bishop Dr. Jimmie Horton at the church, breaking down the barriers of ethnic, social and economic backgrounds, preaching on whosoever will gospel not only to the local Quad City area, but also throughout the world.

A church like the day of Pentecost and that 19 06a Sousa movement gospel message.

Temple is one of many nations as we built in our multi ethnic congregation today.

Bishop has written and submitted four hymns, anthems and spirituals to the Library of Congress.

This next section features two of those selections.

Although the black community has the origin, but many others and diverse nationalities, Bill and Gloria Gaither, the renown singers and composers, God has used them to integrate gospel music and that our whole American nation and world has an ownership that unifies and bring us together, expressing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, where different ethnic groups may have their own interpretation, but it brings a oneness and a unity and the message of love, the message of God's grace.

And it has been a a beacon light of meeting all ethnic groups and races to know God in a deeper and a more personal way.

Gospel music really brought me back to the place where I am today, and I just want to be here to say that without gospel music there is no music.