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Abstract
This dissertation examines the musical, religious, and cultural evolution and significance of the Parade of Quartets, a Black gospel music television program broadcast weekly in Augusta, Georgia, from 1954 to the present. The research engages with two central themes: 1) the program as a site of overlapping musical and religious communities, and 2) the tension between musical, theological, and cultural change and continuity present on the program and in the history of many local gospel performers associated with the program. These two themes are examined through an overview of the programs historical development, three case studies of local Augusta gospel artists association with the show, and a composite case study of theological and textual themes common in a cross-section of the shows performances. Data collection was conducted using archival and ethnographic methodology, and included sources such as Black and mainstream local newspapers, digital/internet resources, footage of the television program from the late 1980s to the present, albums issued by local gospel artists, interviews, miscellaneous ephemera such as concert posters and album liner notes, and attendance at local events and program tapings. Data collected and analyzed in the dissertation points to the following conclusions: 1) The Parade of Quartets exists as part of a complex regional gospel music infrastructure made up of overlapping communities of performers, radio disc jockeys, independent music stores, performance venues, churches, religious leaders, and gospel promoters; 2) Longevity, and the consequent sense of regional heritage, of performing ensembles and other institutions within this infrastructure is highly valued and celebrated; 3) This longevity is achieved through a balance of adherence to distinctively Black musical, theological, and textual roots, while also employing strategies of reinvention that evolve the musical product beyond these roots; 4) The Parade of Quartets simultaneously acts as a generic, almost ecumenical, religious and musical local media presence that is appreciated and valued by many viewers, while also affirming and propagating a distinctively Black Baptist set of liturgical and theological values.