The National Gospel Singing Convention is an annual
Southern gospel music event, and has played a significant part in the development of Gospel music.
The convention was established by the most prominent publishers of
shape note song books in 1936, including the Morris-Henson Company, the Vaughan Quartet,
James D. Vaughan
James David Vaughan (December 14, 1864 – February 9, 1941) was an American music teacher, composer, song book publisher, the founder of the Vaughan Conservatory of Music and the James D. Vaughan Publishing Company.
Biography
Vaughan was b ...
Music Publishers, the Hartford Music Company,
A. J. Showalter Company, Denson Music Company, Theodore Sisk Music Company, Tennessee Music and Printing Company, George W. Sebren, W. P. Ganus, and the
Stamps Baxter Music and Printing Company. The first event was held in 1936 in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, with
Adger M. Pace serving as the convention's first president.
In 1949, the convention's constitution was revised so that state singing conventions would have voting privileges in addition to music publishers. In 1961, Stella Vaughan wrote an article for Vaughan's ''Family Visitor'' newsletter that chronicled the convention's first twenty-five years. The convention has continued as an annual event for more than 70 years, rotating among small towns throughout the United States (typically in the South).
Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
The city of Lawrenceburg is the county seat of Lawrence County, Tennessee, United States, The largest city on the state's southern border between Chattanooga and Memphis, it lies on the banks of Shoal Creek. The population was 11,633 at the 20 ...
, home of the original Vaughan Publishing Company and generally regarded as the birthplace of Southern Gospel music since 1910, hosted the 1991, 1996, 2006, and 2015 conventions.
The current president of the convention is former president of the Georgia State Gospel Singing Convention, Cameron B. Holloway. The 2023 session will take place at the historic Orange United Methodist Church outside Canton, Georgia on November 17 and 18, 2023.
National Gospel Singing Convention
External links
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Gospel music associations
Music festivals in the United States
Shape note
Southern gospel
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