Back in the early '80s when I was programming contemporary CCM WXIR Indianapolis, nearly 40% of the music we played was by black artists. But it had a contemporary sound, not black Gospel or choir. We played Phillip Bailey, (former lead singer of Earth,Wind & Fire), Andrae Crouch, Jessy Dixon, Winans, Wintley Phipps & the Neo-Gospel Experience, BB & CC Winans, Passage, Leon Patillo, and many more that I just can't remember at this moment. Now unfortunately it seems like it's an either/or. A station either plays music by primarily white artists or is a black Gospel station. How did it come to that?
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White CCM? Black CCM?
- Thread starter MightyFrenchman
- Start date
I don't know, but when I started in CCM radio in 1983 the station I worked for played every one of the artists you have mentioned.
Being the only station in the market, on Saturdays we also aired a local black gospel program, where the host came into the studio and did the show live. One of those shows was hosted by Ben Tankard, who later moved to Nashville as part of his involvement in the music business.
I'm another who prefers the classic CCM, but I know it's not going to happen on terrestrial radio. I have continued my two-hour MUSIC OF NEW LIFE classic CCM program on the Internet (used to be 4 hours on a local AM) since 2006. It's in a graveyard time being on Sunday mornings at 7:30, but it is something I have continued to do simply because I love it. I still play the artists MightyFrenchman has listed here with plenty of others. I attempted this as a full-time Internet format but didn't have enough audience to sustain it.
My wife sometimes listens to K-Love in the car but says she gets tired of how bland so many of the songs seem to be.
I seldom listen to radio anymore, period. Big D Country streaming being the exception, of course!
Sometime back a poster listed his classic CCM Internet station on here, and it's quite good. I have it saved on a different computer so can't remember the name of it right now.
Being the only station in the market, on Saturdays we also aired a local black gospel program, where the host came into the studio and did the show live. One of those shows was hosted by Ben Tankard, who later moved to Nashville as part of his involvement in the music business.
I'm another who prefers the classic CCM, but I know it's not going to happen on terrestrial radio. I have continued my two-hour MUSIC OF NEW LIFE classic CCM program on the Internet (used to be 4 hours on a local AM) since 2006. It's in a graveyard time being on Sunday mornings at 7:30, but it is something I have continued to do simply because I love it. I still play the artists MightyFrenchman has listed here with plenty of others. I attempted this as a full-time Internet format but didn't have enough audience to sustain it.
My wife sometimes listens to K-Love in the car but says she gets tired of how bland so many of the songs seem to be.
I seldom listen to radio anymore, period. Big D Country streaming being the exception, of course!
Sometime back a poster listed his classic CCM Internet station on here, and it's quite good. I have it saved on a different computer so can't remember the name of it right now.
Are there any black artists doing CCM? Nicole C. Mullen comes to mind. That's all. Of course, there are probably others, I'm just not familiar with much of today's CCM, races notwithstanding. When I did listen to it more often, I didn't notice the races.
I think it's more about the music style. Most of music radio seems to have fractionalized since the 80s and niched itself into 24/7 corners. The Top 40 stations used to play Pebbles and 38 Special and Robert Palmer and Madonna and Whitney Houston and Cameo and Bell Biv Devoe. These days, they all seem to have a much more "focused" sound. Or like Alan said "bland."
Most Christian radio, emulating commercial radio's programming programs, seem to be much more "focused," and in the case of K-Love or His Radio, or probably Rejoice Musical Soul Food or Solid Gospel too, it leads to "bland." So they don't mix in classics, they don't mix in Christian hip-hop, black gospel, southern gospel, instrumentals on the same station.
They're not necessarily focused on "white or black?" but that's how their single-minded focus on the musical style ("striving for blandness?") shakes out.
I think it's more about the music style. Most of music radio seems to have fractionalized since the 80s and niched itself into 24/7 corners. The Top 40 stations used to play Pebbles and 38 Special and Robert Palmer and Madonna and Whitney Houston and Cameo and Bell Biv Devoe. These days, they all seem to have a much more "focused" sound. Or like Alan said "bland."
Most Christian radio, emulating commercial radio's programming programs, seem to be much more "focused," and in the case of K-Love or His Radio, or probably Rejoice Musical Soul Food or Solid Gospel too, it leads to "bland." So they don't mix in classics, they don't mix in Christian hip-hop, black gospel, southern gospel, instrumentals on the same station.
They're not necessarily focused on "white or black?" but that's how their single-minded focus on the musical style ("striving for blandness?") shakes out.
Jamie Grace has made quite the debut, but it helps that a) her boss is Toby McKeehan and b) her first single fits right into a style that has been popular at Christian AC and CHR for quite some time.
Christian CHR is finally starting to get the memo (Shonlock, Group 1 Crew, etc.) but Christian AC's hand prints are still all over the format.
I also feel that the dominance of EMF and WAY have made it harder for new songs to break in, when it's "drive time" for 12-16 hours per day, and stations lose those after-Midnight and after-7 PM proving grounds for new material.
Christian CHR is finally starting to get the memo (Shonlock, Group 1 Crew, etc.) but Christian AC's hand prints are still all over the format.
I also feel that the dominance of EMF and WAY have made it harder for new songs to break in, when it's "drive time" for 12-16 hours per day, and stations lose those after-Midnight and after-7 PM proving grounds for new material.
CCM has had Nicole C Mullen, and others.
Currently Group 1 Crew, Mandisa, Jamie Grace...are having much success at Christian CHR. I think partly we don't see more is because most music of that genre target Black Gospel/Urban formats instead.
Currently Group 1 Crew, Mandisa, Jamie Grace...are having much success at Christian CHR. I think partly we don't see more is because most music of that genre target Black Gospel/Urban formats instead.
When we started with the first Way in Fort Myers ('87), it was as you noted in Indy.. AC and the newbirthed CHR had the mix simular to our commercial / secular sound and dayparts.. About 1991 or so (as I was moving to Nashville to help start Way, there), A major black gospel leader (B.J.) made it clear that he thought whitebread CCM was watering down HIS TURF... He basically talked most of the urban side of CCM to leave GMA and move on to do their own thing.. It's not been the same, since.... I was there and shocked! At a programmers gathering in Orlando a few years later, I asked the group how we could reach out with an olive branch and see if we could recover that unity we once had (no minorities in the room of about 50 men and women from Radio and the Record Industry).... The reaction from the top 'consultant and his posse' was laughter and a few rude comments, to the shock of the majority of us.... That's a line of de-marcation I remember well..... :'(
I can relate to things that both Alan McCall & quadraphonic are saying. Although radio was my career, I rarely listen to it anymore because it's so bland, so boring. And CCM radio is merely doing what its secular counterpart has been doing, breaking down into smaller & smaller niches to which fewer & fewer people want to listen. I'm back into programming again...I load my mp3 with the CCM songs I can still find and play them through a radio!
Maybe its the perception of CCM in the black community. I don't know many "Black" CCM artists per Se. Israel Houghton and Nicole C. Mullen come to mind. It could be that their music does not get air play on most black Gospel stations because it does not fit the format. The perception is that CCM is for white folks. I don't think I have ever heard a Shirley Caesar song on KLTY. Pastor Caesar's music would not fit KLTY's format, even though its all about uplifting Christ. You will not hear CCM artists on black gospel stations, just like you will never hear gospel artists on CCM stations. They don't appeal to the core demo. Simple and plain.
F
Fido
Guest
Maybe it's just me but I think it's interesting how people no longer in their teens or 20's - especially guys - think the new music is bland or shallow or trite or whatever else negative you can come up with. It's like they have to justify their preference for the stuff they liked when they were younger. I'm sure I probably do it too more than I realize but while I loved Keith Green, Petra, Whiteheart and others, I think the stuff coming out from people and bands today like Chris Tomlin, 10th Avenue North, Francesca Battistelli and others is as good as anything from the 80's or 90's.
If you like the old stuff and ways, fine. That's great but why cut down the stations and groups that are doing a great job now??
If you like the old stuff and ways, fine. That's great but why cut down the stations and groups that are doing a great job now??
I think you're right on the current artist that are trailblazing new areas, but, besides the boldness of Nicole and Mandisa, Group 1 Crew, we are lacking urban pop content... I have a hard time getting the inner city community involved in outreach with stations, due to a preception that we throw crumbs to them.. I would love to have more in the mix....
Some other "People of Color" who have music that fits VERY well with the CCM and/or Inspo format are Larnelle Harris, Wayburn Dean, Lionel Peterson, and others already mentioned. I have them in my library, and I played them often on the music show I used to host on WFIF, called "Morning Light".
It is this 1600+ song library of "Classic Inspo & CCM" that I plan to play on the air, along with the newer music by Chris Tomlin, Lincoln Brewster, etc. The proposal for the station I have been praying about for 25 years, is spelled-out in my WEBsite, which is in my "signature", below. I also have a link from there to my Youtube page, which features over 100 tracks from this library, all of which will be an integral part of the WPHA radio format.
Check it out. I welcome the opinions and input of others.
It is this 1600+ song library of "Classic Inspo & CCM" that I plan to play on the air, along with the newer music by Chris Tomlin, Lincoln Brewster, etc. The proposal for the station I have been praying about for 25 years, is spelled-out in my WEBsite, which is in my "signature", below. I also have a link from there to my Youtube page, which features over 100 tracks from this library, all of which will be an integral part of the WPHA radio format.
Check it out. I welcome the opinions and input of others.
Here's the station on Loudcaster that plays classic CCM:
http://loudcaster.com/channels/404-ccm-backtracks
http://loudcaster.com/channels/404-ccm-backtracks
skippertthomas said:
B.J. has done some major damage to career of those who he persuaded to leave CCM and GMA. Since B.J has talked these artists into the separation from CCM, these artist are now experience a limited radio audience outreach is limited. With the rise of CCM networks like K-LOVE, HIS Radio, and WAY-FM, one can find a CCM FM outlet in almost any location in the USA. Urban Gospel FM stations have grown within the last decade. However, the majority of the country is still without an Urban Contemporary Gospel FM outlet. During the summer of 2010, Urban Gospel artist Forever Jones scored well on Urban Gospel radio outlets with a song called "He Wants it All." The song did extremely well among Urban Gospel stations. The sound and vocal of this song is similar to that of CCM artists like Natalie Grant, Nicole C. Mullens, and Brit Nicole. However, the Forever Jones' single never made it to CCM stations. Therefore the FM radio coverage of this song was limited to Urban Gospel FM stations, which are concentrated in the southeastern portions of the country, with only a few exceptions like Philadelphia, PA and Columbus, OH. Deitrick Haddon's latest song, "Well Done," may also fit into the CCM format. I can guarantee that Mandisa has reached more people through her music than Forever Jones. I can only hope that urban artists will look at the big picture and that sincere godly people will began to step into the leadership roles in the CCM industry.
Mandisa's HOT in the CCM world. But yes I do remember the old days in the 80s with the afore artists mentioned. Also I've noticed stations today for some reason act like the 80s and 90s never existed. Except for "Awesome God" and a few others, you'd never know there was CCM in that period, let alone great soul artists!
Something I've wondered is does Urban contempoary Gospel, and especially Christian rap, face the opposition from black churches and black Gospel radio stations like CCM and Christian rock has had to face over the years from white churches and gospel stations (and still does in some cases)? That probably hurts their progress as well.
anotherguy said:
Yes gospel rap has a hard time in mainstream black churches.
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