Gospel Music

"The story of gospel music is actually a more universal story of American music and our country’s history," says the producer of a new Chicago Stories documentary about the genre's origins in Chicago.

The Staple Singers combined the Delta blues of Pops Staples' birthplace with the gospel of his adopted home in Chicago to become international stars and civil rights activists. Hear Bob Dylan and Harry Belafonte reminisce on the Staples and learn their history before Mavis headlines the Chicago Blues Fest.

Gospel music's "Father," and "Mother," "Queen" and "King," all made their career or were born in Chicago, where the soul-stirring music was first developed and popularized. Discover the development of gospel and its main players in Chicago.