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Gospel can be traced back to maybe the 17th century, but that didn't mean that we had heard it all. The Queen of Gospel Song, Mahalia Jackson. Her style was incredible, influenced by role models like Bessie Smith and Enrico Caruso. She constantly used blues notes, diphth*ng shapings, riffs, and call-and-response repetitions. If she didn't seem impressive enough, she actually refused to sing anything but religious pieces and wasn't afraid to turn down a place she deemed as 'in/ppropri/te.' When working with Mitch Miller, she reportedly had a bit of struggle with his time constraints during recordings. Because really, gospel music is more inspirational than time-induced. And when the world heard her voice on radios and televisions, it's hard to say there were many regrets about it. Eight of her records sold over a million copies each. Other major gospel artists include Mavis Staple (who was inspired by Mahalia), Thomas Dorsey, Jank Williams, James Cleveland, and Aretha Franklin.
