One of These Mornings
This chapter discusses the transition in Chicago gospel music that began before the 1959 Detroit Invasion and continued until the late twentieth century. It first recounts the deaths of Roberta Martin and Mahalia Jackson, considered to be emblematic of the fading of the traditional sound in gospel music. It then looks at gospel groups that extended and broadened their reputation well into the 1980s, including the Christian Tabernacle Concert Choir, the Thompson Community Singers, and the Cosmopolitan Church of Prayer Choir. It also examines the rise of new community choirs in Chicago during the 1980s and 1990s, along with other significant developments like the first Stellar Gospel Music Awards, accolades for gospel pioneers, gospel festivals, and the deaths of some gospel greats including Sallie Martin, James Cleveland, and Thomas A. Dorsey. The chapter concludes by highlighting signs that Chicago is beginning to recapture the sacred music supremacy it lost to California in the 1970s.