MUSIC-JAMAICA: Gospel Goes Mainstream

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Howard Campbell

KINGSTON, Oct 8 1996 (IPS) - Though the beat of reggae music and the strains of rhythm and blues from North America remain the dominant music forms in Jamaica, gospel music is finding acceptance by listeners outside the boundaries of the church.

In what is still considered a deeply religious country, gospel music has waded into the mainstream of Jamaican entertainment, thanks to a new wave of groups that have endeared themselves, not only to their church-going peers, but to many others as well.

The advent of the all-Christian radio station Love FM has added to the growing popularity of these Christian minstrels, who have also invaded the live show circuit. Gospel festivals run a close second to reggae shows, with one to be found just about every weekend in various locations across the island.

Meeting the demand for Christian entertainment has resulted in several gospel acts going professional and earning a living from singing praises to the Lord. Top gospel performers now can earn a pretty penny for local and overseas engagements.

But while their popularity is seen in many quarters as a plus for gospel in a country crippled by crime, many church leaders are concerned that the acts, and the shows, have taken on too much of a secular tone.

“Because of the frequency (of the shows), gospel music has lost its sense of worship,” says Minister of Religion, Herro Blair. “People are still able to enjoy it emotionally, but it has become too much entertainment.”

While he has reservations about several aspects of the gospel explosion, Blair has no problem as such with Christians earning a living from spreading the gospel. “Christians have to live just like anyone else,” he says. “What you have to understand is that it costs a lot to stage shows.”

That is the way other people in the world of Christian entertainment see it. Among them is Dale Flynn, whose ‘Life’ Ministries has promoted gospel festivals for the past 10 years.

‘Life’ has brought internationally acclaimed gospel acts like Andre Crouch and CeCe Winans to Jamaica, and despite the high cost to attend shows featuring superstars such as the two American artists — tickets sometimes cost up to 15 dollars (500 Jamaican dollars) — Flynn insists organisations such as his are not commercial.

“Far from it, we do not get a lot of sponsorship,” Flynn says, explaining that most private businesses do not express much interest in gospel. “We have to pay the same costs as a reggae promoter when we are putting on a show.”

Leading gospel acts like the Grace Thrillers earn as much as 2,500 dollars (80,000 Jamaican dollars) for live appearances, with lesser names making anywhere between 1,600 and 750 dollars. The Thrillers, presently celebrating their 25th anniversary, have consistently hit the secular charts, and their music, tinged with reggae and soca rhythms, has found its way into the dancehalls.

Noel Willis, a founding member of the Thrillers, says the impact of gospel should be seen in a positive light considering what he sees as “the decadence” of dancehall music. “Our music has changed hundreds of lives when we appear on secular shows,” he says.

Flynn agrees: “Secular music is not changing lives, it’s degrading them.”

Jerry McDaniel, like Flynn and Willis, is in the business of gospel entertainment. A former disc jockey, he describes himself as a “conservative Moravian” (a Christian denomination) who is not very impressed by the antics of some Christians at gospel festivals.

“Some of them take the saying ‘make a joyful noise’ a bit too far,” he says. “Some of the things they do you see at Carnival; it’s not right to christianise everything.”

McDaniel, who also manages a gospel group, believes the spate of gospel shows has given the younger generation of Christians a new lease on life: “People who wanted to do something privately now feel they can do it publicly as opposed to being staid,” he points out. “Christian entertainment is an alternative for people not to see the Terminator.”

As the audiences at gospel shows get noticeably younger, so has the appearance of the gospel acts, some of whom have taken on a worldly look. The group ‘Change’ is among those. Signed to the Diamante label in California, the group’s members dress code resemble a dancehall ensemble rather than a Christian unit, with some members sporting earrings and bandana-wrapped heads.

That, says the group’s leader Patrick Kitson, reflects a sign of the times. “The music has to reflect what is going on. If the music can’t attract people, it’s not effective. It’s not right to lock Christianity into a time period.”

Not many with traditional Christian values agree with Kitson’s assessment. Blair, an executive member of the Jamaica Council of Churches, heads that list. “It’s (Christian entertainment) gone too far,” hefrom the 15 nations of the European Union were adamant that action was needed. “Advertising directed towards children,” they said, “is becoming so overwhelming that it is necessary to protect children from aggressive sales tactics.”

Especially multinationals, it was stated, take advantage of peer pressure among children in Western societies. The idea is to marshal what advertising companies call ‘pester power’ – to get children to persuade their parents to buy certain products, whether they need them or not.

In order to sell their products, companies promise kids free gifts or organise competitions. Mostly they aim at children between six and 12 years old, according to delegates at the Lisbon meeting. The meeting was funded by the EU’s Executive Commission and coordinated by the Portuguese Association for Defence of the Consumer.

The U.S. entertainment giant Disney leads the market and sets the trend. The company’s purchase of Capital Cities/ABC TV opened up a direct link betwhe duration of their portfolios and aimed to achieve yields above 4%. In the government bond sector, the latter is only possible in maturities of twelve-years and longer.  5 1/2s of 2001: 111.70 up 0.05 Yld 2.93 vs 2.95  4 1/2s of 2006: 105.40 dn 0.05 Yld 3.80 vs 3.80  SOFFEX Dec. CONF Future: 115.55 dn 0.10 SOFFEX Dec. COMI Future: 110.58 dn 0.19  10Y Bund Spread: 2.19 Pt Less vs 2.17 Less “Following last week’s rally, some downward consolidation had to be expected,” a trader at a major Swiss bank said. Traders were positive that the market had potential to continue to edge higher, given Switzerland’s sluggish economy and investors’ need to lengthen the duration of their portfolios. “Investors are switching out of the ’02 and ’04 maturities into ’06, ’07, ’08 and even the ’14 government bond,” a trader at a private bank said. In the money markets, the three-month rate was unchanged at 1 7/16%-1 9/16%, while LIFFE’s December Euro-Swiss contract was off 0.04 at 98.40. Call money was unchanged at 1.0%-1 1/2%, while the Swiss National Bank set the Lombard rate at 3 1/2%, unchanged from Friday. In the swap market, five-year swaps fell 0.02 to 3.14%-3.24%, while 10-year swaps dropped 0.03 to 4.08%-4.18%. In the foreign exchange market, the Deutsche mark was quoted at 0.8205 Swiss franc, down from 0.8215 late Friday in Europe. -Anita Greil -0-

= 10080303 DAP0006