Pastor Marvin L. Winans, of Perfecting Church in the city, says her book is a must read for all those who love and are inquisitive about the various avenues in the genre of Gospel music.
In “When the Church becomes Your Party,” Pollard assesses contemporary Gospel music as the genre enters the 21st century.
In this volume Pollard looks at contemporary Gospel music with the insider’s perspective she has acquired as a regular participant in praise and worship services; through her work as a successful Gospel concert producer of The Motor City PraiseFest and the McDonald’s Gospel Fest, and of course as host at Detroit’s WJLB.
Among the topics discussed in her book are praise and worship music, Gospel musical stage plays; the changing dress code of Gospel performance; women Gospel announcers, and Holy Hip-Hop. She draws on her home town's thriving Gospel scene as well as her knowledge of the national Gospel music industry to identify important trends in each area and trace the cultural transformations that brought them about.
She also includes interviews with contemporary Gospel artists, allowing them to explain why they rap, make particular choices in attire, or participate in Gospel radio, praise and worship, or Gospel musical plays.
“When the Church Becomes Your Party,” is published by Wayne State University Press.
For more information on Dr. Deborah Smith Pollard log onto website www.fm98wjlb.com/pages/deb.html
Popular gospel music announcer Deborah Smith Pollard lines up the last few songs for her Sunday morning radio show just as nationally acclaimed gospel music singer and pastor Marvin Winans pops in to prod Pollard along. He wants her on his show.
He does "Rhythm and Praise" on WMXD-FM (92.3) from 6 to 11 a.m.; she hosts "Strong Inspirations" on sister station WJLB-FM (97.9) from 6 to 10 a.m.
While they are competitors on the radio, their appreciation and respect for each other becomes evident in the friendly banter that takes place once she is settled in his studio just down the hall from hers in the Penobscot building in downtown Detroit.
He introduces her with a list of her gospel music accomplishments: announcer, concert promoter and teacher at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. "Isn't it wonderful that we have so arrived that gospel music is an accredited course at a university?" he asks.
And there's more, Winans tells his listening audience. The reason she's on his show is that a new title has been added to her credentials: author.
Pollard's book, "When the Church Becomes Your Party," (Wayne State University Press, $24.95) explores contemporary gospel music. A party celebrating the release of the book will be held Saturday at God's World Record Shop in Detroit.
Explain, not judgeThe book examines the newer styles of gospel music such as rap, holy hip-hop and an older, but revived form of praise and worship. It also studies the world of female gospel music announcers -- including the legendary Martha Jean (the Queen) Steinberg -- and gospel stage plays.
And it takes a look at the way many gospel artists have relaxed their dress code, wearing tight jeans, muscle T-shirts, sagging pants and showing as much skin as some secular artists.
In a separate interview at her university office, Pollard explains that as a scholar her role is not to pass judgment on the music or how it's packaged, but to explain what it is and how it came to be.
"The main message of the book is that despite how unsettling some new forms of gospel may seem to be, at the core of them is still the traditional gospel message," Pollard says. "As the kids say, 'Don't be skird; listen.' "
Gospel's spread into hip-hop, rap and other areas reflects music's development in the secular world, she says. Young people have always sought to create music that speaks in their language -- and believers in Christ are no different.
"That's one of the reasons I've always admired Mattie Moss Clark and Quincy Jones," says Pollard who's affectionately known as "Dr. Deb" on the radio. "They always stayed with the times."
Pollard admits, however, that she was taken aback when more than a decade ago she first heard Christian rap on a public broadcasting station show hosted by the late Tim Smith.
"I thought 'What!' That sounds like what my colleagues are playing on 'JLB," she recalls, referring to the secular disc jockeys on the station that caters to 18- to 34-year-olds.
But Pollard always has been one to give all kinds of music a chance. So she listened, paid close attention to the message, began interviewing some of the artists -- gaining respect for them and their craft -- and soon became a fan.
"I focus on the lyrics," Pollard says. "My show is called 'Strong Inspirations,' so no matter what, there has to be something that people can carry away."
A musical backgroundPollard's openness to all kinds of music stems from her background growing up in Detroit. Pollard, who declines to give her age, was born into music. Her mother, Rosa Lee Smith, is a piano accompanist who serves as minister of music for Elyton Baptist Church in Detroit. Her father, the late Rev. Elmer W. Smith, a baritone and chorale conductor, pastored the church for 25 years until his death in 1981. Her parents, formally trained musicians, exposed Pollard and her three younger siblings to all kinds of music.
Pollard says her research is locally based, but national in scope. "I'm fortunate to live here because Detroit is a mecca for gospel music," she says.
Many of the top gospel artists interviewed for the book either live or have lived in Detroit or were influenced by Detroiters, including the Clark Sisters, Byron Cage, Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin and Winans.
"This is a really good book -- and not just because I'm in it," says Winans, who pastors Perfecting Church in Detroit, a powerhouse for great gospel singing and preaching. It's one of three metro Detroit churches featured prominently in the book. The others are St. James Missionary Baptist Church, also in Detroit and now called Shield of Faith International Ministries, and Greater Christ Temple Church in Ferndale.
Winans says he appreciates Pollard's research because it adds a sense of legitimacy to gospel music. "So much of our history has been passed down orally," he says. "For her to take the time to research, write and share her thoughts on our music legitimizes who we are as a people.
"And Deborah is just one of those people who believes in and is committed to the gospel," he says.
While working on the book -- which she began in 1995 -- Pollard produced gospel concerts, organized weekend praisefests, produced an Emmy Award-winning gospel television show, taught and hosted her radio show. In 2005, she earned a Stellar Award for Gospel Music Announcer of the Year.
She says she has the same hope for the book that she has had for her show.
"I want God to be honored and for the people of God to be blessed," she says.
Contact CASSANDRA SPRATLING at 313-223-4580 or cspratling@freepress.com.
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