The FAMU Gospel Choir

FAMU Gospel Choir History

The FAMU Gospel Choir was founded in 1957 on the campus of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and is considered to be the first Black College Choir in the country. This dynamic and extraordinary musical organization boasts three sections, Soprano, Alto, and Tenor, that meets and exceeds all expectations at every performance in a style of classic, traditional, and contemporary gospel music. The FAMU Gospel Choir continuously paves a way of innovation for their fellow HBCU choir counterparts.

At the onset, things weren't easy for the choir and the student members. They were initially denied use of the school's pianos, organs as well as the auditorium. The school went as far as to tell the students that their scholarships would be revoked if they were caught participating in the choir while on campus.

Equating the choir's struggles with the African-American's fight for racial equality, three local Florida ministers stood behind the student's and encouraged them to fight on. Pastor J.J. Sanders, Rev. C.K. Steele, and Father David Brooks exhilarated the students to fight for their rights to sing gospel music on the FAMU campus. In yet another show of support for the students, Rev. Steele opened up the doors of the church he pastored, the Bethel Baptist Church, to the choir and its founder, Mr. J.D. Olds. Since the turbulent period, the choir has gone to enormous heights. Today, the choirs musical repertoire now includes a mixture of traditional and contemporary gospel music. Their talent and diversity in sound has afforded them the opportunity to share the stage with such gospel luminaries as the late Rev. James Cleveland, Shirley Caesar, the Clark Sisters, Vickie Winans, and Kim Burrell. Also seeing the talent and potential this choir possessed was another gospel notable, Evangelist Twinkie Clark Terrell. She became the guiding force behind the choir's latest musical milestone, their debut recording, entitled, Twinkie Clark Terrell Presents the Florida A&M Gospel Choir for Detroit, Michigan based Crystal Rose Records.

The FAMU Gospel Choir is now officially a part of the Florida A&M University music department, along with the Incomparable Marching 100 and FAMU Concert Choir, and holds academic credit.

Directors

*Prince J.D. Oldes
*Rev. C.K. Steele
*Troy Sneed
*Bishop L. Spencer Smith
*Daniel L. James
*James White
*Charmaine Hickman
*Aaron Snipes
*Meachum L. Clarke
*Sonja Charleston
*Raymond Jackson
*Gregory Jakes

Celebrity Collaborations

*Rev. James Cleveland
*Shirley Caesar
*The Clark Sisters
*Vickie Winans
*Kim Burrell
*Dorothy Norwood
*Twinkie Clark-Terrell
*Lilian Lloyd
*James Hall
*Bobby Jones