CLICK HERE to arrive at the Sinner's Crossroads on WFMU, where there are vast archives of sound (with playlists) featuring well-known and only-locally-known geniuses of black gospel in all its forms.

How the host, Kevin Nutt, describes it:

Scratchy vanity 45s, pilfered field recordings, muddy off-the-radio sounds, homemade congregational tapes and vintage commercial gospel throw-downs; a little preachin', a little salvation, a little audio tomfoolery.

The site includes a search feature by song or by artist-- so you can easily do song comparisons, or pull up more songs by artists you like.

There are also excerpts sprinkled in from other radio programs that include some very, very funny stuff, and a little bit of southern white gospel, or "white spirituals."

Be sure to check out the shape-note singing.... it's not like Sacred Harp; there is a blues-inflected aspect to melody, harmony, and rhythm that's a real treat.

Enjoy! Hope to run into you in the archives!

~Susan