Development of the Gospel Music Workshop of America.
There are many different types of Gospel music, and Reverend James Cleveland was responsible for bringing in the gap between all of them. Reverend Cleveland had a vocal style similar to Lois Armstrong, and influenced many music greats. He was called the "king" of gospel music during the post-war period. .
Cleveland was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1932. He first sang Gospel at the Pilgrim Baptist Church as a kid. In 1951, he joined the Gospelaires, and recorded several songs for the Apollo record label. He also sang with the group, The Caravans. During the mid-1950's, he was performing with many popular Gospel bands and artists such as, The Gospel All Stars, The Meditation Singers, Manahalia Jackson, and many others. .
In 1959 he formed a group, The Gospel Chimes; they produced songs that are still sung today called "The Solid Rock," and "Old Time Religion." During the 1960's his career did not slow down. He formed a different group called "The Cleveland Singers" which featured Billy Preston, who would later be an icon. Cleveland won fame in the Gospel community with the song "The Love of God" and he eventually signed with the Savoy Record Label. Cleveland released several classic albums with Billy Preston, which are still popular. The album "Peace be Still" is thought of as that starting of "traditional black choir sounds.".
During the late 1960's Cleveland became a minister and eventually founded the Cornerstone Institutional Baptist Church. This event was the turning point in his career, as he used status to inspire young talents into the Gospel community. In 1968 Cleveland set up a meeting in Philadelphia for a week long Gospel music workshop. During the convention they came up with a name The Gospel Music Workshop of America, or GMWA, were he taught different classes throughout the week to a small number of choir members.