>As to whether we could have had R&B or rock without
>the blues, gospel, and/or spirituals, I'm not sure
>what the point of the discussion is......
>If there had not been blues and gospel but something else,
>would there have been Sam Cooke or Elvis Presley? What
>would count as an answer, and why would you want to
>know?
I wouldn't. Things got sidetracked on this and that's probably my fault. My original response was questioning the relative importance of gospel. My reaction is to the implied idea that everybody in the south started singing in church. It ain't necessarily so.
As far as market constructs go, gospel was a latecomer in that game. Thomas Dorsey is credited with originating the form after playing piano for years with people like Ma Rainey. In the '30s he wrote Take My Hand Precious Lord and founded a National Convention of Gospel Choirs. The music wasn't initially accepted by church people and Dorsey said "I've been thrown out of some of the best churches in America."