Sermons

Sermons, as a recording genre, are commercially issued spoken-word religious addresses: the preached word captured on disc, from three-minute 78rpm sermonets to full-length LP addresses. The classic form is the African American folk sermon, in which the preacher chants, whoops and dramatises scripture with a responding congregation, turning doctrine into theatre; the 1920s race-record market made preachers such as *Rev. J. M. Gates* among the best-selling recording artists in America. Later LP sermons document the civil-rights pulpit and the broadcast ministry, preserving oratory that functioned as news, education and entertainment for its audience.