(RNS) — W. James Abbington Jr., an expert on Black religious music known for his editing, teaching and playing of congregational music, has died at the age of 65. GIA Publications, for whom he worked ...

A professor, scholar, editor and exemplary musician, W. James “Jimmie” Abbington considered sacred music an essential part of the Black church. He believed traditional hymns and spirituals are ...

Richard Smallwood didn’t just write songs. He crafted hymns that felt like they had always existed. His music lived in that ...

Known as the dean of Black church music, Abbington was a scholar who had just been selected as the inaugural professor of Black sacred music at Duke University School of Divinity. He died in late ...

Professor and author W. James “Jimmie” Abbington, a scholar of Black sacred music, was known for his expertise in the subject. The executive editor of a series of books on music in the Black church, ...

The discussion around Maverick City Music highlights how commercial success and congregational value are two different things. Since its first album in 2019, Maverick City Music has been both praised ...

ANAHEIM, California (AP) — For over two years, Ebonie Vazquez searched to find a mentor of color for her son, Giovanni, now 11 and passionate about playing the violin. She has now found that space at ...

A few years ago, I came across a book called Worship Across the Racial Divide. Its chapter titles were arresting: “African Americans as the Icon of ‘True Worship,’” “The Naïve Experience of Worship in ...

NEW YORK (RNS) — On Sunday mornings in Brooklyn, nicknamed the borough of churches, the muffled sounds of choir singers, hand‑claps and Hammond organs can be heard from the sidewalks. The borough ...