Jon Bon Jovi Going Gospel?
Monday, March 23, 2009
I found this interesting tidbit in my alerts this morning.
There's nothing like gospel music. Born of struggle, fueled by faith and driven by a desire to see love come to this world of pain, gospel music has the unique power to reach into the depths of despair and darkness and lift people up to the absolute heights of glory.
In 1969 The Edwin Hawkins Singers scored a major pop hit with a rousing R&B flavored single called "Oh Happy Day." The song dominated multiple radio formats and would go on to become the first RIAA certified Gold Record in gospel music history. Featured on mainstream radio alongside other pop, rock and R&B hits of the day, "Oh Happy Day" reflected a new era of cross pollination between the Church and the world of popular music.
Now, forty years later, "Oh Happy Day," and other classic songs from hard-core gospel to feel-good pop are gathered together and celebrated by multiple generations of gospel music fans and practitioners, blurring all lines and celebrating the spirit of the songs. This special collection of brand new recordings of pop and gospel favorites by artists of multiple racial, denominational and stylistic backgrounds simultaneously celebrates gospel's roots, shines a light on its influence on the music of today, and points a faithful finger towards a future of continued and expanded influence on contemporary culture.
Set your preconceptions aside and revel in the glorious diversity of Oh Happy Day.
Apparently Jon recorded a version of Keep the Faith for this little project. You can listen to a snippet here.
There's nothing like gospel music. Born of struggle, fueled by faith and driven by a desire to see love come to this world of pain, gospel music has the unique power to reach into the depths of despair and darkness and lift people up to the absolute heights of glory.
In 1969 The Edwin Hawkins Singers scored a major pop hit with a rousing R&B flavored single called "Oh Happy Day." The song dominated multiple radio formats and would go on to become the first RIAA certified Gold Record in gospel music history. Featured on mainstream radio alongside other pop, rock and R&B hits of the day, "Oh Happy Day" reflected a new era of cross pollination between the Church and the world of popular music.
Now, forty years later, "Oh Happy Day," and other classic songs from hard-core gospel to feel-good pop are gathered together and celebrated by multiple generations of gospel music fans and practitioners, blurring all lines and celebrating the spirit of the songs. This special collection of brand new recordings of pop and gospel favorites by artists of multiple racial, denominational and stylistic backgrounds simultaneously celebrates gospel's roots, shines a light on its influence on the music of today, and points a faithful finger towards a future of continued and expanded influence on contemporary culture.
Set your preconceptions aside and revel in the glorious diversity of Oh Happy Day.
Apparently Jon recorded a version of Keep the Faith for this little project. You can listen to a snippet here.
Is there anything this man won't do??
1 comments:
And you can watch a different version from 2001 here ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqRR_VqQ2vc
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