The Enduring Power of Collective Black Singing

From the plantation fields to the modern church, the Black choir has been a vessel for community, resistance, and cultural expression.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Collective Black singing has its roots in the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade, when Africans from diverse ethnic groups were forced together and used music as a means of communication and survival. After arriving in America, these songs evolved into spirituals that carried coded messages, before moving into church choirs and the wider gospel music tradition. Experts trace the history of the Black choir, from its origins in subterfuge to its modern-day role in expressing the Black experience and calling for revolution in both lyrics and representation.

Why it matters

The Black choir has long been more than just a musical tradition - it has been a vital tool for community, resistance, and the preservation of African cultural identity in the face of slavery and oppression. As the choir tradition evolves, there are calls for it to continue serving as a vessel for amplifying Black voices and narratives, rather than remaining captive to 'someone else's theology'.

The details

Collective Black singing began on the slave ships, where Africans from diverse ethnic groups were forced together and used melody as a shared language and means of communication. After arriving in America, these songs continued in the plantation fields, where they carried coded messages. The spirituals then moved into church choirs, where harmony was organized and the Black choir tradition was born. Over the decades, the choir evolved, with quartets shaping the sound in the 1930s and the full gospel choir movement emerging in the 1960s, led by figures like James Cleveland and Thomas Dorsey. By the late 20th century, gospel music had crossed into the mainstream, but experts note a recent decline in traditional choirs, with praise teams now more common.

  • The transatlantic slave trade forced Africans from diverse ethnic groups to sing together on slave ships in the 17th-19th centuries.
  • After arriving in America, collective Black singing continued in plantation fields in the 18th-19th centuries.
  • Spirituals moved into church choirs after Emancipation in the late 19th century.
  • Quartets shaped the sound of Black choirs in the 1930s.
  • The full gospel choir movement emerged in the 1960s, led by figures like James Cleveland and Thomas Dorsey.

The players

Dr. Daniel Black

Professor of African American Studies at Clark Atlanta University, who has studied the origins and evolution of collective Black singing.

Dr. Kevin Johnson

Associate professor of music at Spelman College and director of the Spelman College Glee Club, who discusses the cultural significance of the Black choir tradition.

James Cleveland

A pioneering figure in the 1960s gospel choir movement.

Thomas Dorsey

Another influential figure in the 1960s gospel choir movement, hailing from Georgia.

Kirk Franklin

A contemporary gospel artist who helped bring the genre into the mainstream in the late 20th century.

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What they’re saying

“This is when the Serer, the Tiv, the Ga, the Ewe, the Mandinka, the Yoruba, who were all forced together in the same place, forced together in the same horror, in the same tragedy.”

— Dr. Daniel Black, Professor of African American Studies, Clark Atlanta University (cbsnews.com)

“They were creating what I call spaces of subterfuge. In other words, what they were also doing in the spiritual was creating ways to communicate with one another secretly.”

— Dr. Daniel Black, Professor of African American Studies, Clark Atlanta University (cbsnews.com)

“It's a culture built on struggle and on expressing that struggle and coming out on the other end of it with beauty.”

— Dr. Kevin Johnson, Associate Professor of Music, Spelman College (cbsnews.com)

“Our extraordinary nature, our excellence, is actually regular.”

— Dr. Daniel Black, Professor of African American Studies, Clark Atlanta University (cbsnews.com)

“We need revolution in lyrics. We need gospel songs now about the marvel of Nat Turner. We need gospel songs about the genius of Fannie Lou Hamer. If we cannot sing our own heroes as deities, we remain captive to someone else's theology.”

— Dr. Daniel Black, Professor of African American Studies, Clark Atlanta University (cbsnews.com)

What’s next

Experts suggest the future of the Black choir tradition will depend on its ability to evolve, with calls for more revolutionary lyrics that celebrate Black heroes and narratives, rather than remaining 'captive to someone else's theology'.

The takeaway

The Black choir tradition is more than just musical harmony - it is a vessel for community, resistance, and the preservation of African cultural identity in the face of slavery and oppression. As the tradition continues to evolve, there are hopes that it will remain a powerful tool for amplifying Black voices and experiences.