In the soulful landscape of gospel music, Detroit has long been considered a major influencer, leaving its mark on the genre’s rich history and evolution. The city’s cultural and spiritual tapestry helped to nurture the growth of gospel since its beginning. Few know that history better than gospel music radio host and historian Dr. Deborah Smith Pollard.
A revered figure in gospel, Pollard has graced the airwaves for three decades as the host and producer of “Rhythm and Praise with Deborah Smith Pollard” on MIX 92.3 FM Detroit, where she shares the latest in classic and contemporary gospel music.
RELATED:
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr. examines gospel music’s rich history in new PBS docuseries ‘GOSPEL’
- The sacred and the secular: How gospel music grew from the blues
- Gospel music in the Black chuch
- Negro spirituals: The music that helped free enslaved African Americans
Pollard also taught Introduction to Gospel Music at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where she is a professor emerita of English literature and humanities. She has co-produced McDonald’s Gospelfest and the Motor City Praisefest, lectured on gospel across the globe, and authored “When the Church Becomes Your Party: Contemporary Gospel Music,” a Library of Michigan 2009 Notable Book.
On the heels of PBS’s “GOSPEL” docuseries by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., “American Black Journal” delves into Detroit’s role in shaping the gospel art form. Pollard provides a history lesson on the origins of gospel music and how it has evolved into the contemporary sounds we hear from artists today.
Stay Connected:
Subscribe to Detroit Public Television’s YouTube Channel and don’t miss American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
Catch the daily conversations on our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @amblackjournal.
View Past Episodes >
Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.
