There are many different types of Gospel music, and Reverend James Cleveland was responsible for bringing in the gap between all of them. Reverend Cleveland had a vocal style similar to Lois Armstrong, and influenced many music greats. He was called the “king” of gospel music during the post-war period.

Cleveland was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 5, 1932. He first sang Gospel at the Pilgrim Baptist Church as a kid. In 1951, he joined the Gospelaires, and recorded several songs for the Apollo record label. He also sang with the group, The Caravans. During the mid-1950’s, he was performing with many popular Gospel bands and artists such as, The Gospel All Stars, The Meditation Singers, Manahalia Jackson, and many others.

In 1959 he formed a group, The Gospel Chimes; they produced songs that are still sung today called “The Soli

After Reverend Cleveland’s first convention the number of people joining went up. In 1969, the convention was held again in Philadelphia were 4,000 delegates attended. The number of delegates doubled by Los Angeles 1972 convention of 10,000 delegates. The rapid increase of members worried Reverend Cleveland enough to now put the first week of March annually to prep for the main convention in August. The annual convention today consists of 20,000 members who still believe Reverend Cleveland’s songs.

The GMWA is the largest artistic organization of its kind in the world. There are over 75,000 members, and 185 chapters around the nation. The GMWA are Christians who want to follow Reverend Cleveland’s vision. The goals and objectives of the GMWA are to open eyes throughout the world to Gospel music as an art style, making more artists create and upgrade songs. To join the GMWA a person has to attend a meeting or an annual

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