Preserving the “Golden Age of Gospel Music”

The Black Gospel Archive (BGA), housed by Baylor’s University Libraries, is one of the largest collections of gospel music in the world, and a $2.48 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will support further expansion. 

“Lilly Endowment’s support for the next phase of the Black Gospel Archive represents a game-changing opportunity for the Baylor University Libraries,” said Dean of University Libraries, Museums and the Press at Baylor, Jeffry Archer. “After 20 years of groundbreaking work to locate, preserve and make accessible America’s Black Gospel music heritage, this gift will propel the Black Gospel Archive to a new level of national visibility and further our understanding of the impact of African American worship on religious culture at large.”

The award has a tremendous impact as it represents one of the largest foundation gifts to support Baylor Libraries and will underwrite an expansion of the Black Gospel Archive and Listening Center, create a four-year concert series and hire staff positions beginning in 2025, in addition to several other important projects.

Stephen Newby, D.M.A., The Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship in the Baylor School of Music and professor of music, said that the story of God working with our humanity is present in the materials preserved by the Black Gospel Music Preservation Program, so the archive aims to collect and digitize as much of that story as possible.

“Every great work is built upon the contributions of those who have gone on before us. The Baylor University Black Gospel Preservation Program has an amazing team that has worked diligently to bring this Lilly Endowment grant to fruition,” Newby said. “As we advance towards a bright future for our humanity flourishing, I look forward to our collaborations with current and new partnerships, taking Gospel music scholarship to the world.”