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February 25, 2026

How Modern Gospel Was Born on the South Side

City Cast Chicago

How Modern Gospel Was Born on the South Side

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Gospel music has roots in southern spirituals during slavery and migrated north during the Great Migration in the early 1900s. Chicago has staked its claim as the birthplace of modern gospel thanks to Bronzeville’s Pilgrim Baptist Church and Thomas Dorsey, its choir director for 50 years. In 2022, we talked with writer and producer Stacy Robinson about the WTTW documentary “The Birth of Gospel” and Chicago’s place in music history.

Good News: The DuSable Museum - Black History Month Closeout Celebration

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