10 All Time Greatest African-American Gospel Songs

Choosing ten all time greatest African-American gospel songs is not easy. Musicians have created many wonderful gospel songs through the years. Negro spirituals, old-time hymns, urban gospel and songs mixed with blues or rock, all have their place in the history of African-American gospel music. Based on popularity and the test of time, here are ten of the greatest gospel songs ever composed and recorded.

1. “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground.” Blind Willie Johnson was an American gospel pioneer known for blues and spirituals. “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” was his most influential piece, presenting the gospel message in song: “Dark was the night, cold was the ground on which my Lord was laid / Mine was the debt, mine was the crime for which my Savior paid.”
2. “Strange Things Happening Every Day.” Rosetta Tharpe was another gospel pioneer. Her music mixed spiritual lyrics with early rock and roll, earning her the title of “original soul sister." “Strange Things Happening Every Day,” one of her best-known songs, tells of the giver of miracles. “Jesus is the holy light / Turning darkness into light / There are strange things happening every day.”
3. “Move On Up (A Little Higher).” Mahalia Jackson, possibly the most influential African-American gospel singer, recorded “Move On Up (A Little Higher)” in the late 1940s. The National Endowment for the Arts and Recording Industry Association of America rank it among the “Songs of the century.” “I’ve been coming over hills and mountains / Gonna drink from the Christian fountain / You know all God’s sons and daughters… / Will drink that old healing water.”
4. “Surely God Is Able.” Clara Ward was an American gospel singer in the 1950s. “Surely God Is Able” is one of her most popular songs. It describes an able God: “As Pilgrims we, we sometimes journey / We often know not which way to turn / But there is One who knows the road / Who’ll help us carry every load.”
5. “Lord, Don’t Move The Mountain.” Inez Andrews recorded “Lord, Don’t Move The Mountain” in the early 1960s. It was a crossover hit for the African-American gospel singer. Asking God for strength and guidance, she sang: “Now Lord, don’t move the mountain, but give me the strength to climb / And Lord, don’t take away my stumbling blocks, but lead me all around.”
6. “Mary, Don’t You Weep.” “Mary, Don’t You Weep” is a pre-Civil War Negro spiritual. Many artists have recorded the song, but Aretha Franklin’s cover is the most popular. Franklin recorded the song for her 1972 “Amazing Grace” album. “Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn,” she encouraged. “Didn’t Pharaoh’s army get drowned?”
7. “Oh Happy Day.” “Oh Happy Day” is a late-1960s funk-style arrangement of an old hymn. It was an international hit for The Edwin Hawkins Singers: “Oh happy day, Oh happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away” is an expression of joy and celebration. The song is a standard that also ranks among the “songs of the century.”
8. “Why We Sing.” Kirk Franklin is an African-American singer, author and leader of urban contemporary gospel choirs. “Why We Sing” is one of his best-known songs. “Someone asked the question, why do we sing? / When we lift our hands to Jesus, what do we really mean?” His simple explanation: “His eye is on the sparrow. That’s the reason why I sing.”
9. “People Get Ready.” “People Get Ready” is a mid-1960s single from The Impressions. Many artists have covered the song, including The Blind Boys of Alabama, a gospel group formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind. “People get ready, there’s a train a-comin’ / You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board” is a message of salvation, where “all you need is faith…you just thank the Lord.”
10. “Soon And Very Soon.” Andrae Crouch is a multi-Grammy Award winner. His song, “Soon And Very Soon,” is among the all-time greatest African-American gospel songs. The lyrics deliver a message of hope: “Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King / Hallelujah, hallelujah, we’re going to see the King.”