The Birth of Gospel 2026

This episode of Chicago Stories traces the birth of gospel music in Chicago in the 1930s.

Directed by Stacy Robinson

This episode of Chicago Stories traces the birth and growth of gospel music in Chicago in the 1930s. The story follows "The Father of Gospel", Thomas A. Dorsey, who wrote one of gospel’s early hits while coping with his grief over the death of his wife and child. It explores the roots of gospel from southern spirituals during slavery, through gospel’s early years.