Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia (Book) [Paperback]

Bil Carpenter (Author), Mavis Staples (Author), Edwin Hawkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

This comprehensive guide is a must-have for the multitude of fans of this best-selling genre of popular music. Uncloudy Days is a treasure chest of substantial profiles on the influential names in gospel music history such as Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, the Hawkins family, Clara Ward, James Cleveland, and the Winans. It also uncovers the history of one hit wonders and others who are not as familiar to gospel music fans. Everyone has a story to share and this book tells more than 500 of them, many based on personal interviews, including the trials and tribulations endured by so many gospel artists. The author offers entertaining and informative reviews that lead readers to the best recordings by their favorite artists and help them find new music to explore. A glossary of terms and numerous charts showing the best-selling gospel recordings and videos of all time round out this entertaining and indispensable resource for current fans and new converts alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An invaluable and long overdue gem." -- Billboard magazine, September 20, 2005

Product Details

• Paperback: 508 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879308419
• ISBN-13: 978-0879308414
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,112,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stop nit-picking and give this book its due, January 13, 2006

By 

Gospel Guy "Gospel Guy" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia (Book) (Paperback)

Some reviewers have noted (correctly so) significant Gospel artists missing from this encyclopedia. Others have also noted (again correctly) factual inaccuracies (though they are FAR outweighed by dead-on, correct facts and information). This book is the first credible attempt to bring to Gospel that which most every other genre has boasted for decades: a serious compendium of a MASSIVE amount of information. Carpenter, the author, has publicly and repeatedly affirmed that he is assiduously taking careful notes regarding EVERY discrepancy brought to his attention, and that all will be addressed, corrected, and included in this amazing book's second edition. Give the man (and his book) its due. This is a laudable, and HIGHLY readable attempt at bringing a vast genre of music, and the people who made and make it, into one volume. It reads like a great book, not a series of disjointed blurbs. I suggest Gospel fans stop complaining, sit back and enjoy the read, and simply contact the author, c/o his publisher I'm sure, with any corrections. This is a great start, and it only promises to get better.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uncloudy Days a little Overcast, November 17, 2005

By 

Robert M. Marovich Jr. "Bob Marovich" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia (Book) (Paperback)

Uncloudy Days is hit and miss. While I applaud Bil Carpenter's efforts to compile such a volume -- hey, he even included information from my on-line article about the Helen Robinson Youth Chorus and borrowed liberally from my gospel website, though without attribution -- the book left a bit to be desired.

My concerns are twofold. First, there are signficant factual inaccuracies. For example, Father of Gospel Music Thomas A. Dorsey's date of death is listed as 1999 instead of the real date, 1993) and incomplete information (Hulah Gene Dunklin Hurley is listed in "G" and there is no mention at all of her most important work as a vocalist with Detroit's Rev. Charles Craig and the Voices of Tabernacle).

There are also questionable inclusions. Lola Falana and Lauryn Hill are two names I would not normally think of, but they are listed; meanwhile, where are the Argo Singers? The Patterson Singers? Rev. Cobb and the First Church of Deliverance? The latter brought the Hammond Organ into prominence as a gospel music instrument in 1939, launched the careers of several gospel artists, and provided initial funding for the famed publishing house of Martin and Morris. All are unfortunately missing.

You get my point. Uncloudy Day has some very important information: I was particularly pleased to see entries on Chicago's darling Bertha Melson and South Africa's amazing Rebecca Malope. I just wish there had been a more concerted effort to double-check facts and rethink important inclusions before publication. There is enough inaccurate and incomplete information on gospel music out there. No need to add to the confusion.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, September 10, 2005

By 

S. M. Linen "Musically Yours" (Harrisburg, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia (Book) (Paperback)

"A work that contains information on all branches of knowledge or treats comprehensively a particular branch of knowledge usually in articles arranged alphabetically often by subject". That is the definition for encyclopedia established in Webster Dictionary. Uncloudy Day is not just an encyclopedia of Gospel Music, but the greatest treasure of information contained in one book. You will read narratives that chronicles the lives behind the music. You will read about very renowned household names, to some not so well recognized, but all have helped to make gospel music what it is today. I am sure you will be encouraged when you read the stories behind the celebrated performers in this book. Also included is a Glossary of Terms, Gospel Trivia, Charts and a great deal more. As a Gospel Radio Announcer I highly recommend this book. If I had to put it in one word it would be "Astounding". Bil Carpenter has produced a MASTERPIECE.



Musically Yours,

Harrisburg's Prince of Gospel Music

Pastor Stephen M. Linen
Joyful Praise - WWII 720
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