Steve Alexander Smith

author of British Black Gospel
British Black Gospel is available to purchase now

 
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the author

Welcome to my website and the
cyber-home of my debut book British Black Gospel:
The foundations of this vibrant UK sound.

The author
About The Author
I was born on the 14th December 1963 at the stroke of mid-day and am one of eight children born to parents of Jamaican origin. My place of birth was a town called Huddersfield which is based in West Yorkshire approximately 170 miles north of London, England.

My favourite movies to date are The Shawshank Redemption, Crimson Tide, Malcolm X, Predator, The Color Purple, and Under Siege. In addition, my musical tastes and choice of books are too broad to document here and I cannot seem to consume enough African American music history.

I am a Medical Laboratory Scientist by profession, living in London and married with children. This is my debut book which
I have completed and presented as a work in progress.
 

If you love or admire Soul, Rhythm and Blues,
Rock ‘n’ Roll or Rap music to name but a few, then I have news for you. The foundation, origin and driving force behind this eclectic mix is in fact gospel music derived from within the black American churches.

The father of gospel music, the late
Thomas A. Dorsey, took the bold step of fusing the Spirituals with the Blues in the early part of the 20th Century in order to create and further promote music that he felt was losing its cultural identity and commercial appeal.

Legendary figures such as Elvis, Michael Jackson, James Brown, The Rolling stones, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles were inspired either directly or indirectly and assimilated the genre into their own styles and performance routines.

Whilst the USA is rich with a wealth of information and knowledge surrounding their black gospel pioneers, in Britain there is no definitive website, resource or book…………until now.

If a picture paints a thousand words, then a book filled with interesting text and over 100 rare photographs will captivate you with its many stories.

A CD accompanies the book which takes the uninitiated into a whole new listening experience and sneak preview into a rapidly emerging genre which up until now remained within a parallel universe. You can now access this other world and enjoy what it as to offer.

This website will not only provide new visitors with the opportunity to purchase but will also give readers the platform to explore the book, the CD, subject matter and of course the Author in more detail.

Steve Alexander Smith MSc. FIBMS
Member of the Society of Authors (UK)

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'It's a wonderful book. Literally full of wondrous insights.
I can highly recommend it'.

Bernard P Achampong - Senior Producer
Beverley's Gospel Nights, BBC Radio 2

***
'British Black Gospel' by Steve Smith is quite simply a must read for anyone who has the slightest interest in the development of this musical genre in Britain. How fascinating to learn that so many of our current leaders, preachers, Gospel and R&B artists are also pioneers of British Black Gospel. It is amazing that this is a first book on the subject and I hope that there is more to come from Steve and others, further exploring this musical legacy.

Bishop Dr Joe Aldred
Churches Together in England

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" I am dearly looking forward to getting me copy of this long awaited book. It is quite amazing that we have not had any such publication in the UK about the great works of many of the Gospel performers in this country".

Ruby Turner
British Soul Singer

 

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