Mondays at 9 PM, Feb. 18 & 25 and March 11 & 18, 2019
Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul is a special four-part weekly radio show celebrating Black gospel music's profound and under acknowledged influence on early rock and soul music.
It's hosted by Grammy award-winning gospel singer Cece Winans, and produced by WXPN. Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul is the culmination of a 15-month period of live events in Philadelphia with gospel legends The Fairfield Four, The Dixie Hummingbirds, the Fisk Jubilee Singers and numerous interviews with musicians, historians and scholars. Each hour of Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul will illustrate the influence of gospel on secular music, celebrating the roots of black gospel and its impact on major artists.
The series is produced by Alex Lewis, an award-winning independent radio producer and musician whose projects include Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Soul Radio, Every ZIP Philadelphia, a Localore: Finding America collaboration with AIR and WHYY, with additional assistance by Cheryl Devall (Reveal, Daily World, Marketplace), and Whitney Jones (host and producer of Pitch, The Moth). The series Executive Producers are WXPN Program Director and World Cafe Executive Producer Bruce Warren and WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay. The series is made possible with support from the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage.