NPR

The Indelible Career Of Gospel Innovator Dr. Bobby Jones

The choirmaster is known as the "Ed Sullivan of gospel" and has helped launch the careers of artists like Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams.
Dr. Bobby Jones at the BET Celebration of Gospel in 2013.

Singer and bandleader Dr. Bobby Jones is known affectionately as the Ed Sullivan of gospel music. Jones has helped to launch the careers of many gospel stars and his Nashville home is lined with trophies for his contributions to music. But despite the enormous impact he's had in the gospel music world, Jones hails from humble beginnings.

Growing up in a rural Tennessee farming community, Jones sang

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Mystik Dan Wins The Kentucky Derby By A Nose
In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a horse's nostril over Sierra Leone. Contenders waited with bated breath in the seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred had entered the race with 18-1 odds — a longshot c
NPR4 min read
'Zillow Gone Wild' Brings Wacky Real Estate Listings To HGTV
Zillow Gone Wild started in 2020 as an Instagram account devoted to eccentric property listings. The show focuses on homes that defy everyday expectations in some way.
NPR4 min read
Cicadas Are Back On The Menu. One Chef Shares His Dish Ideas — And An Easy Recipe
The cicadas are coming! And so are some new flavor profiles. This spring, the bugs of two broods, the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII, will crawl from the ground simultaneously across the eastern and southern parts of the United States.

Related Books & Audiobooks