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Valerie June’s forthcoming album
Songs of the Day: An uplifting triple Sunday special from the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Memphis, Tennessee who mixes soul, gospel, country and blues in this three-track standalone digital release
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Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972)
Song of the Day: Moving from Blind Willie Johnson and his bottleneck guitar style, the finger-picking pioneer from Laurens, South Carolina who does a classic and clever talking version of this traditional number
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Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945)
Song of the Day: Following Solomon Burke and The Blind Boys of Alabama, let's take it way back to the great blues and gospel singer and bottleneck guitarist who was raised in Marlin, Texas
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Marion Williams 1927-1994
Song of the Day: There are great voices, and then there's Marion Williams. Continuing our series of gospel greats, for sheer raw passion and power, few can match the soaring sensation from Miami
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The Blind Boys of Alabama in later years, including founders Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter
Song of the Day: From mountains with Mahalia Jackson and the rain from Rosetta Tharpe and Ray Charles, we turn to similar heights with the great gospel singing group that has been going since 1939 and a songwriter also from Alabama
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Sister Rosetta Tharpe, singing and guitar-playing superstar, in action at Chorlton station in 1964
Song of the Day: After the great Mahalia Jackson, another superstar who could not only sing, but whose guitar playing was a major influence on Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, and therefore everybody since them
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Mahalia Jackson
Song of the Day: Following a tribute to Aretha Franklin's passing, who could possibly follow that? Very few, but perhaps one of her inspirations, the great gospel singer, with three songs that show her extraordinary power and range
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James Carr
Song of the Day: Following Nick Cave's Jubilee Street, let's continue down the magnificent but murky musical road with this 1967 soul classic by the Mississippi-born singer from album You Got My Mind Messed Up
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Gladys Knight & The Pips
Song of the Day: From a Georgia-based star with a midnight song, with follow the connection to this soul and gospel hit from 1973, actually inspired by a telephone conversation with Farah Fawcett
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Sugaray Rayford
Song of the Day: How best to describe the Brexit situation, or any number of other blind action scenarios? Away from the EU, let's hear an appropriately great song by a Texan blues and gospel singer
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Martha and her Vandellas in '63
Song of the Day: From 80s new wave to 60s Motown, and turning up the temperature, today's song is a Holland-Dozier-Holland hit made of soul, gospel, jazz and doo-wop
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The king of soul on his throne: Solomon Burke
Song of the Day: A truly influential landmark, this 1962 recording saw the fusion of soul, gospel and R&B from one of the greatest voices in half a century of music
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