ABOUT GMHA

Become a Contributor

While jazz and the blues have long been studied by scholars, the field of gospel music has yet to be adequately collected and catalogued by the library and museum community. Many documents are housed in churches, homes, and private collections, but they are not broadly accessible for use and study. To effectively address this historic neglect, the GMHA needs the assistance of individuals and institutions with materials related to the growth and development of gospel music. In this effort, no individual, church, archive, library, museum, or gospel organization is too large or too small. With the assurance and professionalism offered by two prestigious research universities, the GMHA is looking for contributions from across the stylistic and regional spectrum. For individuals and institutions desiring to contribute materials to the archive, the GMHA will document, digitize, and return all items to their owners following careful protocols related to tracking, shipping, handling, and return delivery.

While sound recordings and sheet music are great resources for any music archive, the full story of gospel is also told through video and audio testimonies, letters and correspondences, programs, flyers, and posters of concerts and church services, and items such as birth and death certificates, military discharge papers, news articles, contracts, and family photographs that detail the life and legacy of gospel performers known and unknown.

Become a Financial Supporter

The preservation efforts of the GMHA require the financial support of individuals, organizations, and corporations. In an effort to insure the highest quality processing of all materials contributed to the archive and provide ample, secure digital storage, the GMHA is actively soliciting support in the form of individual contributions, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorships. Becoming a partner in this endeavor presents a great opportunity for any entity desiring to make a lasting contribution to American history.

Prospective donors should contact the GMHA project manager at timstant@usc.edu or (213) 821-5568. The project manager will explain the priorities and needs of the collections.