Country Gospel Music Lyrics

MUSIC: Ray Wylie Hubbard a cosmic, comic cowboy

Ray Wylie Hubbard is much more than just an "outlaw country" songwriter these days. Judging from his 110-minute show at the Narrows Center Friday night, Hubbard is also a hilarious storyteller, pretty fair guitarist, and a typical Texas musical mixmaster able to shift effortlessly from rock to country to folk to blues to gospel flavors.  But Friday night a distinct focal point of Hubbard's 17-song set was roadhouse blues, as he'd brought along a venerable National Steel guitar and played impressive slide on several numbers.

In perhaps Hubbard's funniest anecdote, he told of how his grandfather had treasured the old steel guitar, and always refused to let him play it.  Then, on a California tour, Hubbard learned that his grand-dad was fading fast, and he rushed back to see him. His grandmother solemnly informed him that grand-dad was on his death-bed, and wanted to see him to talk about that guitar. "I'll never forget that moment, when I went into his room, and..he sold it to me," Hubbard said.  "I still feel a little guilty about paying him with a bad check." Like the very best alt-country songsmiths, Hubbard can combine light and darkness, sin and salvation, deep thoughts and silly misadventures in his work.  He's a contemporary and fellow traveler with such other so-called outlaws as Walker, Guy Clark, and Robert Earl Keen, and he's an acknowledged influence on the current crop of alt-country iconoclasts, including James McMurtry and Hayes Carll.  Hubbard's latest album is last year's "A. Enlightenment, B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is No C)," and he included several of the songs from that CD, while also delving into much of his past work, and some new material.  Hubbard performed in a duo setting, with longtime drummer/percussionist Rick Richards providing superbly subtle backing on a cocktail drum kit.  And if Hubbard's deep baritone has a good bit of gravel on record, his vocals were surpassingly clear and resonant Friday night--actually better than on his last few CDs.  "Get in the Groove" opened the show with quintessential Hubbard writing, a series of oft-comic non sequitirs about life in general, all resolving in the chorus, which echoed Howlin' Wolf's maxim that "people will love anything if it's got a groove.

Southern Gospel | Music Songs Lyrics

Roots of Gospel Music

 

Throughout the history of gospel music there has been a soulful purpose to the gospel songs and gospel music lyrics.  Christian music in general seeks to provide a medium for the faithful to worship and spread the gospel throughout the world and gospel music is no exception.  Gospel Music, by definition, proclaims the Gospel as found in scripture rather than just singing praise.  Like other forms of Christian music the creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace. However, a common theme of most gospel music is praise, worship or thanks to God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit.  The precise origin of gospel music lyrics is basically unknown because the early days of gospel music were largely un-documented or records don’t exist anymore.

In the days of slavery in this country, the slaves made music, probably the forerunner to current day  gospel music, a part of their everyday lives as they worked the fields.  The slaves developed customs that encouraged others to join in their gospel music singing in the fields and sing along.  As the slaves were freed and began to migrate into large cities, they brought their music into the churches they began to attend.  In the early 20th century promoters began offer gospel music in more public venues and as money making enterprises.

Gospel music artists range from those who would be rock and roll artists to those who would be country and bluegrass gospel, largely because they began singing gospel music as children in their churches and transformed that experience into a career singing gospel music or returning to their gospel music roots after a career in other music genre.

Today gospel music is an element in regular radio program playlists and it has become especially prevalent on Christian and country television networks.  Gospel music continues to be influenced by other genre of music but gospel music also influences other genre.  Through it all though, gospel music still holds onto its fundamental characteristic of bringing scripture to life in music.  This genre of music has spawned the modern day Southern Gospel music.

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