Edwin Hawkins Singers Oh Happy Day

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There's much to be grateful for on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, 2020. One sign of happiness is the upcoming COVID-19 pandemic vaccine. Oh Happy Day is performed by The Edwin Hawkins Singers on May 24, 1969. The African American gospel group's performance of the gospel music arrangement of an 18th-century hymn by clergyman Philip Doddridge became an international hit. Oh Happy Day reached #4 on the US Singles Chart in 1969.

The gospel music standard begins with a muted piano, drum, and bass backing lead singer Dorothy Combs Morrison then alternates twice with a full-throated chorus that includes a large ensemble and ends with a return to the muted sound at the beginning. The track is notable for its clear sound given the powerful vocals and the modest equipment used to capture them.

The recording was made at Edwin Hawkins' church, the Ephesian Church of God in Christ in Berkeley, California. Oh Happy Day was included on the RIAA Songs of the Century list and won Hawkins a Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1970 (performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers). Source: Wikipedia

Although singers like Aretha Franklin had introduced Gospel style songs to the pop charts with songs like "Think" in 1968, African American church-centric Gospel music began to cross over into the mainstream following the release in 1969 of the recording of "Oh Happy Day" by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. The single sold more than a million copies in two months (well above average for a Gospel recording).

Since Edwin Hawkins, other artists have emerged, taking Gospel music well beyond the black church. Today's Gospel songs are more harmonically complex than their traditional counterparts. Prominent names in the contemporary Gospel field include Andrae Crouch, Take 6, The New York Community Choir and the Cultural Heritage Choir.