Jesus Music, Soul Music and more Nashville Gospel

Has anybody else had a challenging time settling into 2022?

Our country is in the midst of (another) COVID surge, we’ve had snow storms (which always shut Nashville down) and torrential rain, so it’s been a little challenging getting back in the routine of life as the New Year dawned.

In the midst of all of that, some exciting things have been happening and are in the works.

I’m near completion on the next feature, which focuses on singer/songwriter Bob Bailey, one of Nashville’s legendary voices. The piece focuses on his 1983 album, I’m Walkin’, and will complete the three-part series I’ve been working on about Nashville’s significant contributions to the cultivation of, what we know now, as contemporary gospel music. If you missed the first two installments, be sure to read the pieces on Johnny Whittaker’s Twenty-First Century Singers and Donna McElroy. Here’s a sneak preview of Bob Bailey in 1980 with Reba Rambo, who you’ve previously read about here!

I’ve also become a weekly contributor at SoulMusic.com. My first two submissions are reviews of the Two Tons’ (Martha Wash & Izora Armstead) Backatcha and Sarah Dash’s You’re All I Need, which have both been digitally reissued for the first time. I’m excited to be a part of the SoulMusic.com team and trust me—there are some exciting things brewing! Below, you’ll find “Never Like This” from the Two Tons’ Backatcha, written by gospel legend, Josh Albert Hailey (remembered for composing James Cleveland’s “Give It To Me”) and his godson, Eric Robinson, who co-wrote Sylvester’s smash “Dance (Disco Heat)”.

Finally, Ray Curenton and I dropped a new episode of our podcast, Outlaw’s Evidence of the Unseen, last week. The new episode is focused on The Jesus Music documentary, which dropped last last year. We share a history of the Jesus Movement, our thoughts about the film and what we thought was excluded from the narrative. I also filled this past week’s #SundayMorningMusic playlist with Jesus Music that you will not hear in the film. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

I’ll see you in two weeks! Stay safe, friends!