“Lord, Let Me Be an Instrument”: The Artistry and Cultural Politics of Reverend James Cleveland and the Gospel Music Workshop of America, 1963–1991

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the artistic legacy of Reverend James Cleveland, an internationally renowned musician whose sonic innovations and institution-building efforts played a critical role in gospel music's rise as a global cultural phenomenon. In addition to examining how Cleveland's music provided a sonic blueprint for multiple generations of gospel artists in the United States and the larger African diaspora, this article also explores his involvement in the Gospel Music Workshop of America. Created in 1968, the GMWA offered an institutional space in which Black religious artists could hone their craft and exercise greater control over their art. By exploring Cleveland's multivalent roles as an artist and international promoter of gospel music, this article underscores how Black Christians' struggle for self-determination extended into the world of gospel music. It also argues for Cleveland's historical importance as a contributor to and benefactor of the cultural politics of the Black Power movement.