It was fine.
It definitely had everyone you’d want to see on a program about gospel music in Detroit– the Clark Sisters, Kierra Sheard, J Moss, PAJAM, 21:03, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Fred Hammond, Mom & Pop Winans, and several others. And many of them gave very gracious and informative interviews about their music ministry and the influence of the Detroit music scene– gospel and secular– on their craft.
But some of them… it just seemed like some folks wanted to take the opportunity to demand the respect that they feel they’re due. Mind you, I’ve watched several other Hometown Gospel programs (Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta) and no other city has exhibited so much self-promotion. Sure, the artists in other cities said stuff like “Chicago has such a rich gospel music heritage, especially because of people like Thomas A. Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, Albertina Walker and others.” The Detroit theme was more like “so now, all of you at home can finally see that DETROIT is where it’s AT!” It was a bit off-putting.
All in all, though, it was a must-see for any gospel music lover. There is some really excellent (and OLD) video footage of Fred Hammond with Commissioned, and some clips of Vanessa Bell Armstrong. Check out the Gospel Music Channel for info on future airdates and times. And make sure you catch the other cities, too.
One final point, for everyone in the gospel music industry and beyond: the last name of the legendary family is Winans, with an ‘s‘ already on it. That means that ANY PLURALIZATION OF THAT NAME (i.e., referring to more than one member of the family) cannot be ‘Winans’… cuz that’s the name already.
No, it must be WINANSES. Feels weird to say it, I know… but it really is the only way. Ok?
Winanses.
I love that my first post is not about gospel music... but about grammar. So "Winanses." I agree with the pronunciation, but not sure about the spelling. Would it be [Winans'] with the apostrophe on the outside - still pronounced "Winanses"?
Hmm... I understand what you're saying, but I believe that the use of an apostrophe to denote pluralization is generally frowned upon, as its primary, and proper, function is to make things possessive or conjunctive. But I could be wrong... In unrelated news, while watching Hometown Gospel - New York, Janice and I saw you in the choir stand at Brooklyn Tab... you were donning a rather fancy gold sequined ensemble. And I said "hmm. there's amy."
You're actually right. http://www.grammarbookonline.com/blog/uncategorized/tips-on-apostrophes-with-names/ I feel as though I've learned something today... thanks, gospelpundit! That rather fancy gold sequined ensemble is still hanging in my closet, although I can't imagine when I would EVER wear it again.
So I'm supremely late with this, but I love the 'Winanses' bit. It irks me, too. ;)