On the Nose. Too on the Nose?
A couple of years ago I met with an editor about editing the sample for A Life’s Work. The conversation eventually turned to music for the film. One idea I told her I had idea was of staging a choir … Continued
Bob Marovich’s Top Ten All Time Gospel Recordings
Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, radio announcer, and journalist. Since 2001, he has hosted “Gospel Memories,” a weekly radio program featuring classic gospel on WLUW Chicago. He is currently at work on a book-length history of gospel music … Continued
Radio, Radio
Thanks to the magic of the Internet, I’ve been listening to the University of California, Berkeley’s radio station, KALX. It’s a listener-sponsored, freeform station, which means it doesn’t have commercials or underwriting (what’s the difference?) and the DJs (who are … Continued
Discovering Your Passion: Bob Marovich and Gospel Music
When I first interviewed Robert Darden of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project for A Life’s Work in Chicago (August 2009), one collector’s name came up again and again. Bob Marovich. Bob Marovich is a gospel music historian, radio announcer, … Continued
A Report from SXSW
Robert Darden, journalism professor at Baylor University, author of People Get Ready: A New History of Black Gospel Music, founder of the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project, subject of A Life’s Work, was recently on a panel at SXSW. Below … Continued
BGMRP @ SXSW
Attention Williamsburg hipsters! Are you going to SXSW? Do you want to know the origin of all of your guitar riffs? Well then on Saturday, March 19, 2:00pm go to the panel called Searching for Blind Willie Johnson. You’ll get … Continued
Little Red Dots
I have these stickers, they’re little red dots. They look like this: When I capture a tape (that is, put the miniDV tape in a deck and transfer that digital information to one of my external hard drives so that … Continued
Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground
I probably should have inserted this in the last post. On second thought, no. This deserves its own post. If you are unmoved by Blind Willie Johnson’s vocals and guitar playing, listen to it again. And again. And again. Eventually … Continued