A couple of months ago, we looked at the history of a curious phenomenon in gospel music history…namely, the unusual attraction and attention paid to the genre’s many outstanding bass singers.

This month, we will attempt to shed some light on another aspect of gospel music history that examines one of the most discussed issues among the genre’s fans…namely, the history of the stage appearance and style of those singing gospel music.

Many fans are deeply concerned with the appearance of their favorite gospel singers…and conversely, many other fans think too much is made about the way artists dress and act on the concert stage. Is there a “right” side in this debate? We invite you to decide for yourself based on the historical development of this issue.

As most fans of gospel music know, the southern genre developed because of the songbook publishing industry. Male quartets were formed to advertise the songs in the songbooks, and they were employees of the publishing companies who could sing, and some had additional musical skills as well.

As such, they were expected to dress like professional salespeople of any other business, namely, suits and ties for the men, and attractive and modest dresses for the women. For several decades, this philosophy was carried out unquestioningly by all who sang or played with gospel singing groups.

Along with suits in general, a trend developed when the artists began to tour and make personal appearances. This trend had group members wearing identical apparel, matching suits for men, and matching dresses for women.

The reason behind this had to do with the conscious awareness that the message behind the music was of paramount importance to communicate above all else. If one group member wore something a bit too distinctive, it was felt that it would distract members of the audience from taking in the gospel message described in the song lyrics. Thus, it quickly became the accepted norm for singers to dress in pleasant but otherwise nondistinctive clothing.

For the early decades of professional gospel singing, those standards were the required norm, for the reasons stated above. This began to change after World War II(as did most areas of life), with the change in the gospel singing business from a publisher-driven business to a more recording and entertainment-driven business. As gospel singers became more “professional” from an entertainment standpoint, it became more of a professional entertainment career for most of its’ singers.

Thus, distinctiveness became more important among gospel music artists in an attempt to separate themselves from each other, and become more widely known. One very popular quartet that formed in the 1930s and was perhaps gospel’s leading quartet until the mid 1950s, the Rangers Quartet, was a leader in this movement. Not only were they the first gospel quartet to become popular with no ties to the music publishers (along with the Chuck Wagon Gang), they used distinctive stage wear to reinforce their image.

They began as the Texas Rangers in the 1930s, and they originally combined gospel songs with pop and western hits(as did many other gospel artists of that period). To show their “western” image off, they occasionally wore cowboy hats and western fashions to show their “western” authenticity. They did that for many years before going to a full gospel repertoire. Their appearance and their distinctive style indeed set them apart from the many other quartets of the day. So fashion was an instrument that could be used to establish a group’s reputation in the music business, even the gospel music business.

Another group that used a distinctive personal appearance to establish their identity in gospel music was the Klaudt Indian Family. Truly one of the most distinctive groups musically in the history of the genre, this family of full-blooded American Indians chose to celebrate their heritage right in front of all to see with distinctive Indian regalia they wore on stage.

From the parents to all the children, anyone watching the Klaudts would know that 1. They were great singers and musicians…2. They were God-loving and God-honoring people…and 3. They were of American Indian heritage. Those facts made them one of gospel’s most distinctive and beloved groups.

As American society grew more affluent, some gospel groups became more distinctive in their stage attire. While still wearing matching apparel, groups like the Statesmen, the Crusaders, and the Plainsmen began to appear in more colorful and flamboyant outfits, reflecting their musical styles somewhat.

The 1960s saw many changes in American society, and gospel singers were not immune from occasional “worldly” influences. Musically, this was reflected in a more youth-oriented sound and style in groups like the Imperials, the Oak Ridge Boys, the Downings, and the Stamps…and in those groups and others who patterned themselves after them, more casual stage dress and (gasp)non-matching clothes became more in vogue. The concerns of gospel singers in past years were lost in the translation, not unlike many customs of years gone by.

That brief fad was eclipsed by groups who became more popular during the 1970s, such as the Inspirations, the Cathedral Quartet, and the Kingsmen, who brought a more traditional look and style to the genre. That tradition continued through the 1980s by those groups and others, such as Gold City, who followed faithfully in those traditions.
But in recent years, there has been a more concerted attempt to get away from those older traditions, not out of disregard or disrespect for them, but as a reflection of the more casual professional look of modern times.

Some audiences are insisting that distinctive apparel does not distract from the gospel message of the music, and in fact current popular groups in the genre such as today’s Imperials, the Gaither Vocal Band, and perhaps most notably, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, are demonstrating that quality gospel quartet singing can be done by groups that don’t always dress alike.

So is there a right or wrong in this never ending discussion? As I said at the outset of this article, you decide. My hope is that this look back at what we did in past generations has been helpful to you in making up your mind on this issue.

I want to thank Dean Adkins for graciously supplying some of the pictures you see in this article.

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