“Like the great religious works of Bach or Handel, great gospel music transcends belief because it is a sublime worldly manifestation of human gifts performing in service to a belief in the spiritual. The soloists and the choir were marvelous artists, whose performance inspired some in the audience to clap with the music, or even rise up and sing at the top of their lungs, as has been the practice for many decades in African-American churches.
“…Again, it is difficult to doubt or criticize the sincerity of the people who helped patch this program together. Rather than preaching to the audience, the mission of the program was to use the inspiration from a great American to communicate to the audience using their artistic gifts. Dr. King was not necessarily at the center of this program; the musicians were, and that was a far more prudent choice.”
Read more from Splash Magazine here about our 2014 tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.!